SGER - µ-Raman Analysis of Ice-Core Samples

Barletta 0828786该奖项支持探索性研究（SGER）的一个项目，以进行有限范围的概念验证研究的应用拉曼光谱分析冰芯的小额赠款。作为一种具有高空间分辨率的非破坏性分析工具，拉曼光谱在水是样品主要成分的情况下得到了广泛的应用，包括海洋科学和冰芯本身的包合物分析。拉曼可以提供足够高的灵敏度（ppm至ppb）的信息，使其作为一个非破坏性的调查工具，冰芯样品的吸引力。 基于激光的技术，如拉曼，可以用来获得化学信息，在近衍射极限的分辨率，允许在1微米或更小的数量级的颗粒进行表征。初步工作已经证明了拉曼光谱法用于确定相关多原子物种（离子和化合物）的选择性，以及从这种分析中辨别氧化态的能力。尽管这种技术的潜力，仪器分析冰芯样品所需的使用显微拉曼光谱与紫外线激发是不容易获得的。即使有可见光激发，混合物去卷积所需的拉曼光谱库也不可用。 拟议的努力是一个新的扩展拉曼到极地和气候研究领域，提供迄今为止无法获得的化学形态的数据，至关重要的生物学存在于冰川冰的理解，以及在冰芯中发现的颗粒物质的来源。由于临界层的冰芯材料有限，这种非破坏性技术将有助于最大限度地从这些样品中获得信息。 这项工作的更广泛影响是，它将为极地冰芯分析领域带来一位新的研究人员，并有可能为该领域带来一种新的非破坏性技术。 最后，研究将在南亚拉巴马的一所本科院校进行，那里有很大比例的少数民族学生（24%的本科生）。建议的努力是高风险的，因为，虽然基于振动光谱学的既定原则，痕量环境分析的分析问题的应用是独特的，精度要求是严格的。此外，这项工作将证明一个综合的方法来冰芯分析的可行性，同时解决冰川学的具体问题。

Barletta 0828786This award supports a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) for a project to conduct a limited scope, proof-of-concept study of the application of Raman spectroscopy to the analysis of ice cores. As a non-destructive analytical tool with high spatial resolution, Raman spectroscopy has found widespread application in situations where water is a major constituent in the sample, including marine science and the analysis of clathrates in ice-cores themselves. Raman can provide information at high enough sensitivity (ppm to ppb) to make its use as a non-destructive survey tool for ice core samples attractive. Laser-based techniques such as Raman can be used to obtain chemical information at near diffraction-limited resolution allowing particulates on the order of 1micron or less to be characterized. Preliminary work has demonstrated the selectivity of Raman spectroscopy for determining related polyatomic species (ions and compounds), and the ability to discern oxidation state from such analysis. In spite of the potential of this technique, instrumentation necessary to analyze ice core samples using micro-Raman spectroscopy with UV excitation is not readily available. Even with visible excitation, libraries of Raman spectra necessary for mixture de-convolution are not available. The proposed effort is a novel extension of Raman into the area of polar and climatic research, providing data on chemical speciation hitherto unavailable, of critical importance to the understanding of the biology present in glacial ice as well as the sources of particulate material found in ice cores. Since the availability of ice-core material at critical horizons is limited, this non-destructive technique will help to maximize the information obtained from these samples. The broader impacts of the work are that it will bring a new researcher into the field of polar ice core analysis and it has the potential to also bring a new non-destructive technique into the field. Finally, the research will take place at a predominately undergraduate institution in South Alabama with a large proportion (24% of undergraduates) of minority students. The proposed effort is high-risk because, although based upon established principles of vibrational spectroscopy, the application to the analytical problems of trace environmental analysis are unique, and the precision requirements are stringent. Moreover, this work will demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated approach to ice core analysis, while addressing specific problems in glaciology.