Acquisition of a JR-6A Spinner Magnetometer

地球磁场是环绕地球的一种基本力量，至少已经存在了35亿年。磁场在地球周围提供了一个屏障，保护我们免受来自太空的高能粒子的侵袭。古地磁学，或研究记录在岩石、人工制品或沉积物中的地球磁场，是一种强大的工具，可用于研究地球科学中的一系列重要课题。由古地磁研究产生的对过去古地理的了解有助于探索对社会至关重要的自然资源。此外，植物和土壤中的磁性特征可以提供有关环境中污染物水平的信息。所有这些研究都需要使用这项建议资助的灵敏旋转式磁力计，以便能够识别和量化岩石和其他天然材料中的磁性特征。在超级计算机和人工智能的时代，关于板块运动、气候变化和地球发电机在地球内部的行为的模型越来越复杂。这些模型应该是数据驱动的(地面真实)，这需要直接从岩石或沉积物中记录下来。要生成这些数据，实验室空间必须得到维护、高效和现代化。这项提议允许我们对1996年投入使用的老化的莫尔自旋旋转磁力仪进行升级和现代化。最新的JR-6a磁力仪将使我们能够保持高生产率，因为它具有灵活性、灵敏度和现代的计算机接口。更广泛地说，获得新的磁力仪将支持的工作解决了科学优先问题第一个问题，“地球内部磁场是如何产生的？”，发布在NSF-EAR的国家科学院十年报告中。这个奖项反映了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。

The Earth’s magnetic field is a fundamental force surrounding our planet and has been for at least 3.5 billion years. The magnetic field provides a shield around the planet protecting us from incoming energetic particles from space. Paleomagnetism, or the study of Earth’s magnetic field as recorded in rocks, artifacts, or sediments, is a powerful tool that can be used study an array of important topics in the geosciences. Knowledge of past paleogeography, resulting from paleomagnetic research, aids in exploration in natural resources critical to society. In addition, magnetic signatures in plants and soils can provide information about the level of pollutants in the environment. All these studies require the use of the sensitive spinner magnetometer funded in this proposal to be able to identify and quantify the magnetic signature in rocks and other natural materials. In the era of supercomputers and artificial intelligence, models of plate motion, climate change, and the behavior of the geodynamo inside the Earth are increasingly complex. These models should be data driven (ground truthing), which requires a direct record from the rocks or sediments. To generate these data, the laboratory space must be maintained, efficient, and modern. This proposal allows us to upgrade and modernize an aging Molspin spinner magnetometer that was commissioned in 1996. An updated JR-6a magnetometer will allow us to maintain high productivity given its flexibility, sensitivity, and modern computer interface. More generally, the work that would be supported by the acquisition of a new magnetometer addresses science priority question one, “How is Earth’s internal magnetic field generated?”, released in the National Academies decadal report Earth-in-Time for NSF-EAR.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.