MRI: Acquisition of a Modern Electron Microprobe, University of Massachusetts

在马萨诸塞州大学购买一种新的、最先进的电子微探针，有助于实现许多NSF资助的研究项目，这些项目涉及马萨诸塞州大学的研究人员和五所学院社区的其他成员（史密斯，山）。霍利奥克，阿默斯特和汉普郡学院），以及许多其他地区和国家机构。 该MRI补助金支持收购一种仪器，该仪器将取代过去27年来在马萨诸塞大学工作的电子探针微分析工具，这是马萨诸塞大学电子探针微分析50多年遗产的重要组成部分。学生和研究人员已经使用，并继续使用，在岩石学，地球化学，气候科学，生物学，化学，材料研究和工程研究的成分映射和成分微观分析的设施，越来越重视高科技材料将继续扩大这种使用到令人兴奋的新方向在物理和工程相关科学的一些领域。 该基金将直接支持NSF。电子探针的使命是促进科学的进步，促进国家的健康、繁荣和福利，因为基础研究有可能大大提高我们对地球和行星过程的理解，涉及生命的起源和进化，以及资源和技术的探索和发展。电子探针显微分析仪（EPMA）提供非破坏性，利用聚焦电子束从目标样品中产生特征X射线，在微米或更小的尺度上对矿物相进行原位分析。 这些X射线的强度用于计算目标中特定元素的绝对浓度。反应历史和形成条件可以推断，揭示自然和合成系统的地质或其他相关物理/化学方面，从大陆的形成到生物矿化结构（如甲壳类动物），到光纤，集成电路或合金的构造。新仪器将在更高的电流和电压范围内提供更好的电子束性能，更高分辨率的样品台运动，更好，更清洁的真空技术，用于提高精度和分析效率的高计数效率光谱仪，高度改进，更强大的电子设备，以提高可靠性和稳定性，以及大大改进的控制和分析软件。NSF目前支持的项目包括中地壳和深地壳过程的研究，来自世界各地的岩浆系统的实地和实验研究，光谱学和矿物学的矿物分析;陨石学，环境材料分析，以及工程和土壤科学成分分析研究人员的材料测试。新的微探针也将在马萨诸塞大学的一个主要技术开发项目中发挥重要作用，电子微探针地质年代学。有了新的微探针，马萨诸塞大学的设施将很好地定位为新的发展，正在进行的研究和学生培训的区域资源向前迈进。 许多教职员工和博士后依赖于马萨诸塞大学的电子探针设施，数百名学生与该设施互动，作为学生研究，课堂项目和/或实验室演示的一部分。此外，许多访问实验室的外部研究人员来自非博士授予机构，许多人带着本科生参与分析工作。麻省大学微探针设施在培养未来的分析师方面发挥了重要作用，包括麻省大学的实践和理论课程，以及培养大量的博士后研究员，研究生和本科生。PI已经为马萨诸塞大学、五所大学和大学外的班级、K-12班级、社区团体和公众举办了许多图尔斯之旅、实验室演示、研讨会和讲座。这些活动激发了科学导向和非科学导向的人的兴趣，并加强了现代地球科学是一个定量的，高科技的，非常相关的奋进的信息。

The acquisition of a new, state-of-the-art electron microprobe at the University of Massachusetts serves to enable numerous NSF funded research projects involving researchers at UMass and the other members of the Five-college community (Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Amherst, and Hampshire colleges), and many other regional and national institutions. This MRI grant supports the acquisition of an instrument that will replace an aging electron probe that was the workhorse micro-analytical tool at UMass for the past 27 years, a significant portion of the 50+ year legacy of electron probe micro-analysis at UMass. Students and researchers have used, and continue to use, the facility for compositional mapping and compositional micro-analysis for research in petrology, geochemistry, climate science, biology, chemistry, materials research, and engineering, and the growing emphasis on high-technology materials will continue to expand this use into exciting new directions in a number of fields of the physical and engineering-related sciences. This grant serves to directly support NSF?s mission to promote the progress of science and advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare as the enabled fundamental research has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of Earth and planetary processes, processes involving the origin and evolution of life, and in the exploration and development of resources and technology.The electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) provides non-destructive, in-situ analysis of mineral phases on the scale of a micrometer or less by use of a focused electron beam that generates characteristic X-rays from the target sample. The intensity of these X-rays is used to calculate the absolute concentrations of specific elements in the target. Reaction histories and the conditions of formation can be inferred, revealing geologic or other relevant physical/chemical aspects of natural and synthetic systems, everything from the formation of continents to biomineralization architectures (such as crustacean cuticles), to the construction of optical fibers, integrated circuits, or alloys. The new instrument will offer much improved electron beam performance over a higher range of current and voltage, higher resolution sample stage motion, better, cleaner vacuum technology, high counting efficiency spectrometers for improved precision and analytical efficiency, highly improved, more robust electronics for improved reliability and stability, and greatly improved control and analysis software. Current projects supported by NSF include studies of mid and deep-crustal processes, field and experimental studies of magmatic systems from around the world, mineral analysis for spectroscopy and mineralogy; meteoritics, environmental materials analysis, as well as materials testing for researchers from engineering and compositional analysis for soil science. The new microprobe will also play an essential role in a major technique development project at UMass, electron microprobe geochronology. With a new microprobe, the UMass facility will be well positioned to move forward as a regional resource for new development, on-going research, and student training. Many faculty members, and post-docs depend on the UMass electron probe facility, and hundreds of students have interacted with the facility as part of student research, class projects, and/or lab demonstrations. In addition, many outside researchers who visit the laboratory are from non-PhD granting institutions and many bring undergraduate students to participate in the analytical work. The UMass Microprobe Facility has played a major role in training future analysts including practical and theoretical courses at UMass and training of a large number of post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students. The PIs have run numerous tours, lab demonstrations, workshops, and lectures for UMass, Five-college, and outside college classes, for K-12 classes, for community groups, and for the general public. These activities inspire interest in both science-oriented and non-science oriented people, and reinforce the message that modern Geoscience is a quantitative, high-tech, very relevant endeavor.