EA: Upgrade of the UCSC TIMS with the ATONA amplifier technology

该奖项支持升级目前安装在加州大学圣克鲁斯分校(UCSC)的热电离质谱仪(TIMS)。仪器升级将安装在一个多用户设施中，该设施专注于本科生、研究生和博士后研究人员的数据收集和培训，并被纳入美国一些最多样化的地球科学课堂的课堂活动中。这台TIMS仪器用于测量地球和海洋样品中的天然同位素变化。这一分析工具被纳入加州大学洛杉矶分校的课堂教学，但也是国家科学基金会资助的地质和气候研究项目的主要工具。例如，作为地球和海洋科学调查的一部分，主要用途是获得岩石和矿物的绝对形成年龄。该项目支持升级仪器离子检测系统(如何检测同位素变化)和控制仪器的计算机系统。这些升级将通过更换原有的计算机硬件和软件，既提高数据质量，又延长仪器的使用寿命。目前安装在加州大学洛杉矶分校的IsotopX Phoenix热电离质谱计(TIMS)的升级得到了该奖项的支持。该仪器最初安装在一个多用户设施中，作为2015年美国国家科学基金会核磁共振奖(1532276)的一部分，此后在培训加州大学洛杉矶分校的学生、博士后和教职研究人员的同时，用于产生U、Th、铅和锶同位素数据。该仪器的主要用途是产生U-Pb和U-Th放射性同位素年龄，用于从早期太阳系研究到更新世气候的一系列时间和应用研究。除了这些地质年代学工作外，该仪器还用于为来自海洋科学系、人类学系以及地球和行星科学系的UCSC研究人员提供锶和铅同位素数据。该项目将支持使用IsotopX ATONA放大器技术以及配套的10千伏高压和计算机硬件/软件系统升级UCSC TIM系统。总体而言，这些改进将：1)允许ATONA-DALY收集大的U系列同位素比率，提高地质年代学数据的精度；2)改进新HV系统中低丰度同位素的传输；3)消除不同实验之间交换放大器卡的需要；4)确保该设施在未来几年内有稳定的计算机配置。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports the upgrade of the Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TIMS) currently installed at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). The instrumentation upgrade will be installed in a multi-user facility which is focused on data collection and training for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers and is incorporated into the classroom activities of some of the nation’s most diverse Earth Science classrooms. This TIMS instrument is used to measure the natural isotopic variations in earth and ocean samples. This analytical tool is incorporated into UCSC classroom instruction but also serves as the primary tool in geologic and climate research projects funded by the National Science Foundation. For example, a major use has been to produce absolute formation ages for rocks and minerals as apart of Earth and Ocean science investigations. This project supports the upgrade the instrumental ion detection system (how isotopic variations are detected) and the computer system that controls the instrument. These upgrades will both improve the quality of data and extend the lifetime of this instrument by replacing the original computer hardware and software. The upgrade of the IsotopX Phoenix Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TIMS) currently installed at UCSC is supported by this award. This instrument was originally installed in a multi-user facility as a part of a 2015 NSF MRI award (1532276) and has since served to produce U, Th, Pb and Sr isotopic data while training UCSC students, postdocs, and faculty researchers. The primary use of the instrument has been to produce U-Pb and U-Th radioisotopic ages for studies that range in time and applications from early solar system studies to Pleistocene climate. In addition to these geochronologic efforts, the instrument is used to produce Sr and Pb isotopic data for UCSC researchers from the Departments of Ocean Sciences, Anthropology and Earth and Planetary Sciences. The project will support the upgrade of the UCSC TIMS with the IsotopX ATONA amplifier technology and the accompanying 10kV high voltage (HV) and computer hardware/software systems. Collectively these modifications will: 1) permit ATONA-Daly collection of large U-series isotopic ratios, improving the precision of geochronologic dates 2) improve transmission of low abundance isotopes from the new HV system; 3) remove the need to exchange amplifier cards between different experiments and 4) ensure a stable computer configuration for this facility for years to come.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.