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

马萨诸塞大学获得了一种新的、最先进的电子显微探针，使许多国家科学基金会资助的研究项目得以实现，这些研究项目涉及马萨诸塞大学和五所学院社区（史密斯学院、霍利奥克山学院、阿默斯特学院和汉普郡学院）的其他成员，以及许多其他地区和国家机构。这项核磁共振拨款支持购买一种仪器，以取代老化的电子探针，这是麻省理工大学过去27年来的主要微分析工具，是麻省理工大学50多年电子探针微分析遗产的重要组成部分。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中，学生和研究人员已经并将继续使用该设施进行成分测绘和成分微观分析，而对高科技材料的日益重视将继续扩大这一用途，使其在物理和工程相关科学的许多领域进入令人兴奋的新方向。此拨款直接用于支持美国国家科学基金会？我们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进程的理解，这些进程涉及生命的起源和演化，以及资源和技术的勘探和开发。电子探针微型分析仪（EPMA）通过使用从目标样品产生特征x射线的聚焦电子束，在微米或更小的尺度上提供非破坏性的矿物相原位分析。这些x射线的强度被用来计算目标中特定元素的绝对浓度。可以推断出反应历史和形成条件，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（如甲壳类动物角质层），再到光纤、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，更高分辨率的样品阶段运动，更好，更清洁的真空技术，高计数效率光谱仪，提高精度和分析效率，高度改进，更强大的电子设备，提高可靠性和稳定性，并大大改进控制和分析软件。国家科学基金会目前支持的项目包括中地壳和深部地壳过程研究、世界各地岩浆系统的实地和实验研究、光谱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。新的微探针还将在麻省理工大学的一个主要技术开发项目——电子微探针地质年代学中发挥重要作用。有了新的微型探针，马萨诸塞大学的设施将很好地定位为新的开发，正在进行的研究和学生培训的区域资源。许多教职员工和博士后都依赖于麻省理工大学的电子探针设备，数百名学生在学生研究、课堂项目和/或实验室演示中与该设备进行了互动。此外，许多访问实验室的外部研究人员来自非博士学位授予机构，许多人带着本科生参与分析工作。马萨诸塞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，包括马萨诸塞大学的实践和理论课程以及大量博士后研究员、研究生和本科生的培训。pi为麻省理工学院、五所学院和大学外的班级、K-12班级、社区团体和公众举办了大量的参观、实验室演示、研讨会和讲座。这些活动激发了以科学为导向和以非科学为导向的人们的兴趣，并强化了现代地球科学是一项定量的、高科技的、非常相关的努力的信息。

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.