nai

Project Progress

The W. M. Keck Cosmochemistry laboratory will soon begin analysis of extraterrestrial samples, including sample of interest to astrobiology. At its heart is a Cameca ims 1280 ion microprobe. This state-of-the-art instrument uses a focused ion beam to sputter and ionize atoms from sample surfaces. The sputtered ions are then extracted into a mass spectrometer and measured. The 1280 can measure isotopic compositions of most elements, with better precision and accuracy than previous ion probes. It can measure trace-element abundances down to sub-ppm levels. The 1280 is also an ion microscope, which means that it can collect ion images to study the spatial distribution of elements and isotopes in the sample. The unprecedented accuracy and precision of the 1280 are made possible by advanced computer automation. Sensitivity is improved by a multi-collector system that can measure up to five masses simultaneously. The UH 1280 will also have a new solid state imaging detector for high-precision isotope mapping. Purchase of this $4 million laboratory was supported in equal measure by the University of Hawaii, the Keck Foundation, and NASA.

The ion probe was delivered to UH on March 23, and, after three months of assembly and testing, it was accepted on June 23, 3006. Now the task of developing analytical protocols to collect the kinds of data of interest to cosmochemistry and astrobiology begins. The first results should be available in the fall of 2006.

The first project of interest to astrobiology will be to measure the deuterium to hydrogen ratio of water trapped in quenched lavas from Iceland and Hawaii. Both sites are thought to be surface expressions of mantle plumes that sample primordial material in the deep mantle of the Earth. The goal of this project is to learn about Earth primordial water and where it came from. We have just submitted a purchase order for a state-of-the-art Confocal Raman Microscope Imaging system to be used in conjunction with the ion microprobe. The system will arrive in late fall. It will be used for investigations of organics in meteorites, for the D/H project, among other things. We have identified a Post Doc with experience in Raman microscopy to come to UH and help carry out these projects.

{{ 1 }}