Acquisition of a New Electron Imaging Facility in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。亚利桑那大学地球科学系将获得资金，建立一个新的电子成像设施，以支持亚利桑那州激光年代学中心（ALC）的地质年代学研究，并为地球科学和行星科学系的广泛研究活动提供服务。 拟购买的仪器是一台变压钨丝扫描电子显微镜，配有二次电子、背散射电子、能量色散谱、彩色阴极射线发光和电子背散射衍射成像和检测系统。 扫描电子显微镜的主要用途是获得BSE、彩色CL成像和ALC（NSF多用户设施）现场地质年代学所需的含U辅助相的微量元素表征。 扫描电子显微镜将获得的图像是至关重要的，以解开从单一的含铀矿物，如锆石由我们的激光烧蚀ICPMS国家设施获得的日期。 然而，我们也希望支持亚利桑那大学的其他人的研究，在那里SEM将产生图像和元素分析数据：（1）陨石的岩石学和地球化学研究，（2）古气候研究中化石和矿物的鉴定，（3）矿物、流体包裹体、结构和方向的鉴定，用于研究岩石成因、扩散速率和成矿过程，（4）结合EBSD和EDS技术，扩充矿物成分和衍射数据库。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona will receive funds to build a new electron imaging facility to support the geochronological research of the Arizona LaserChron Center (ALC), and also to serve a broad range of research activities in the Departments of Geosciences and Planetary Sciences. The instrument to be purchased is a variable-pressure, tungsten filament scanning electron microscope equipped with secondary electron (SE), back-scattered electron (BSE), energy-dispersive spectrum (EDS), color cathodoluminescence (CCL) and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) imaging and detection systems. The primary use for the scanning electron microscope will be to obtain BSE, color CL imaging, and trace element characterization of U-bearing accessory phases required for in situ geochronology at the ALC (an NSF Multi-User Facility). The images that will be obtained with the scanning electron microscope are critical to unravel the dates obtained from single U-bearing minerals, such as zircon by our laser ablation ICPMS National Facility. However, we also expect to support the research of others at The University of Arizona, where the SEM will yield images and elemental analytical data for: (1) Petrologic and geochemical studies of meteorites, (2) Identification of fossils and minerals for paleoclimate studies, (3) Identification of minerals, fluid inclusions, and textures and orientations for investigating petrogenesis, diffusion rates, and ore-forming processes, (4) Augmenting mineral composition and diffraction databases using coupled EBSD and EDS.