Acquisition of a 193 nm excimer laser ablation system and optical profiler for in situ (U-Th)/He and U-Pb geochronology and thermochronology at the University of Colorado Boulder

CU TRIL（科罗拉多大学博尔德分校-热年代学研究和仪器实验室）的核心任务是促进创新，跨学科和高素质的研究，同时也提供地质年代学数据和培训，以更广泛的地球科学界。该项目将获得三件仪器，这将为CU TRIL增加新的高空间分辨率能力。这些设备将使实验室提供的服务多样化，扩大它为游客提供的机会，并丰富一系列正在进行的研究，包括景观演变和地形发展的研究，对月球岩石的研究，以破译月球的影响历史，以及对古老岩石的调查，以限制“大不整合面”的发展和与生物变化的联系。该项目包括支持一名代表性不足的本科生暑期实习生、一次本科生研究研讨会和三个本科生研究项目。该项目将获得：1）准分子激光烧蚀系统，2）用于原位He分析的四极He线的硬件，以及3）光学轮廓仪。这些设备会让实验室进步吗的研究和它的用户社区，使在原位（U-Th）/He定年，U-Th和He单晶绘图，U-Pb定年，并在原位测量和其他元素的绘图。这些新功能将允许：1）用于战略矿物选择的快速样品筛选，2）晶体内不均匀性的量化，3）单晶中扩散梯度的直接测量，4）化学表征，5）不完美和小晶体的定年，6）高价值样品的大部分非破坏性分析，7）避免在常规全晶体加热期间可能发生的U损失，8）更有效地分析高保留相，9）可能增加碎屑调查的吞吐量，和10）原位U-Pb和（U-Th）/He双定年。该项目包括对一个代表性不足的本科生暑期实习生、一个本科生研究研讨会和三个本科生研究项目的支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The core missions of the CU TRaIL (University of Colorado Boulder - Thermochronology Research and Instrumentation Lab) are to foster innovative, interdisciplinary, and high-caliber research while also providing geochronology data and training to the broader Earth science community. This project will acquire three pieces of instrumentation that will add new high-spatial resolution capabilities to the CU TRaIL. This equipment will diversify the services that the lab offers, expand the opportunities that it provides to visitors, and enrich an array of ongoing research that includes studies of landscape evolution and topographic development, work on lunar rocks to decipher the impact history of the Moon, and investigations in ancient rocks to constrain development of the "Great Unconformity" and links with biologic change. The project includes support for an underrepresented undergraduate summer intern, an undergraduate research seminar, and three undergraduate research projects.This project will acquire: 1) an excimer laser-ablation system, 2) hardware to build a quadrupole He line dedicated to in situ He analysis, and 3) an optical profiler. The equipment will advance the lab?s research and that of its user community by enabling in situ (U-Th)/He dating, U-Th and He mapping of single crystals, U-Pb dating, and in situ measurements and mapping of other elements. These new capabilities will allow: 1) rapid sample screening for strategic mineral selection, 2) quantification of intracrystalline heterogeneities, 3) direct measurement of diffusion gradients in single crystals, 4) chemical characterization, 5) dating of imperfect and small crystals, 6) largely non-destructive analysis of high-value samples, 7) avoidance of U loss that can occur during conventional whole-crystal heating, 8) more efficient analysis of higher-retentivity phases, 9) possible increased throughput for detrital investigations, and 10) in situ U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double-dating. The project includes support for an underrepresented undergraduate summer intern, an undergraduate research seminar, and three undergraduate research projects.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.