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

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.