scholarly journals Technical Note: Noble gas extraction procedure and performance of the Cologne Helix MC Plus multi-collector noble gas mass spectrometer for cosmogenic neon isotope analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedikt Ritter ◽  
Andreas Vogt ◽  
Tibor J. Dunai

Abstract. We established a new laboratory for noble gas mass spectrometry that is dedicated for the development and application to cosmogenic nuclides at the University of Cologne (Germany). At the core of the laboratory are a state-of-the-art high mass resolution multicollector Helix MCPlus (Thermo-Fisher) noble gas mass spectrometer and a novel custom-designed automated extraction line. The Mass-spectrometer is equipped with five combined Faraday Multiplier collectors, with 1012 Ω and 1013 Ω pre-amplifiers for faraday collectors. We describe the extraction line and the automized operation procedure for cosmogenic neon and the current performance of the experimental setup. Performance tests were conducted using gas of atmospheric isotopic composition (our primary standard gas); as well as CREU-1 intercomparison material, containing a mixture of neon of atmospheric and cosmogenic composition. We use the results from repeated analysis of CREU-1 to assess the performance of the current experimental setup at Cologne. The precision in determining the abundance of cosmogenic 21Ne is equal or better than those reported for other laboratories. The absolute value we obtain for the concentration of cosmogenic 21Ne in CREU is indistinguishable from the published value.

Geochronology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 421-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedikt Ritter ◽  
Andreas Vogt ◽  
Tibor J. Dunai

Abstract. We established a new laboratory for noble gas mass spectrometry that is dedicated to the development and application to cosmogenic nuclides at the University of Cologne (Germany). At the core of the laboratory are a state-of-the-art high-mass-resolution multicollector Helix MC Plus (Thermo Fisher Scientific) noble gas mass spectrometer and a novel custom-designed automated extraction line. The mass spectrometer is equipped with five combined Faraday multiplier collectors, with 1012 and 1013 Ω pre-amplifiers for faraday collectors. We describe the extraction line and the automated procedure for cosmogenic neon and the current performance of the experimental set-up. Performance tests were conducted using gas of atmospheric isotopic composition (our primary standard gas), as well as CREU-1 intercomparison material, containing a mixture of neon of atmospheric and cosmogenic composition. We use the results from repeated analysis of CREU-1 to assess the performance of the current experimental set-up at Cologne. The precision in determining the abundance of cosmogenic 21Ne is equal to or better than those reported for other laboratories. The absolute value we obtain for the concentration of cosmogenic 21Ne in CREU is indistinguishable from the published value.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Giuliani ◽  
Janne M. Koornneef ◽  
Peter Barry ◽  
Patrizia Will ◽  
Henner Busemann ◽  
...  

<p>Kimberlites are the deepest melts that reach Earth’s surface and, therefore, can provide unique insights into the composition and evolution of the convective mantle through time. Application of isotope geochemistry to trace the composition of kimberlite sources has thus far been hindered by the ubiquitous alteration and incorporation of xenocrystic material in kimberlite rocks. Bulk-kimberlite analyses are typically considered reliable for Nd and Hf isotopes due to their overwhelmingly higher concentrations in kimberlite melts compared to common mantle and crustal contaminants. Conversely, Sr and Pb isotope compositions of bulk kimberlite samples are seldom considered representative of their parental melts thus requiring analysis of robust magmatic phases, primarily perovskite. Addressing the primary (i.e. magmatic) isotopic composition of volatile elements, such as N and noble gases, requires analyses of volatile-rich phases, and fluid inclusions in olivine represent a typical primary target in mantle-derived magmas. However, fluid inclusions in kimberlitic olivine are dominantly secondary in origin. Secondary inclusions can form at any time after crystallisation of their mineral host, which requires assessment of the origin of trapped fluids (i.e. pristine magmatic fluids, crustal fluids of external derivation, or combination thereof) before their isotopic composition can be used to make inferences about kimberlite mantle sources.</p><p>Here we present trace-element and Sr-Nd-Pb-He-N isotopic compositions of multiple olivine aliquots representing two different magmatic units of the ~88 Ma Wesselton kimberlite (Kimberley, South Africa). The Sr and Nd isotopic composition of olivine analysed by isotope-dilution (ID) TIMS are within the narrow range of perovskite <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr (0.7043-0.7046) and whole-rock <sup>143</sup>Nd/<sup>144</sup>Nd (eNd<sub>i</sub> = 0.4–2.2) for the Kimberley kimberlites. These results indicate that the secondary fluid inclusions, which dominate the incompatible trace-element budget of olivine separates, have a pristine magmatic origin devoid of crustal contribution.</p><p>Helium isotope compositions were measured by laser heating of 1.6 to 9.8 mg of olivine using an ultrahigh-sensitivity compressor-source noble gas mass spectrometer. <sup>3</sup>He/<sup>4</sup>He ratios are between 1.6 R<sub>A</sub> and 3.7 R<sub>A</sub> (where R<sub>A</sub> indicates the atmospheric <sup>3</sup>He/<sup>4</sup>He ratio), values more radiogenic than MORBs but comparable to HIMU OIBs. These results indicate a high time-integrated (U+Th)/He ratio in the source of the Kimberley kimberlites, which is consistent with the moderately high (i.e. HIMU-like) time-integrated U/Pb ratio implied by elevated initial <sup>206</sup>Pb/<sup>204</sup>Pb in Wesselton olivine (19.1-19.5), Kimberley kimberlites (up to 19.9) and megacrysts in southern African Cretaceous kimberlites (up to 20.5). The combination of low <sup>3</sup>He/<sup>4</sup>He, moderately radiogenic <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr, and negative d<sup>34</sup>S values (-2.6‰ to -5.7‰) require a contribution from subducted recycled material in the source of the Kimberley kimberlites. Conversely, a preliminary N isotope analysis of Wesselton olivine by in-vacuo crushing using a noble gas mass spectrometer returned a mantle-like d<sup>15</sup>N of -2.9‰, which might suggest limited recycling of surface N (d<sup>15</sup>N >0‰) in the source of these kimberlites. We conclude that the combination of Sr-Nd-Pb and He-N isotope tracing of fluid inclusions in olivine can provide a robust new approach to address the composition of kimberlite sources and, therefore, the evolution of the deep mantle through time.</p>


Geochronology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 351-370
Author(s):  
Cécile Gautheron ◽  
Rosella Pinna-Jamme ◽  
Alexis Derycke ◽  
Floriane Ahadi ◽  
Caroline Sanchez ◽  
...  

Abstract. Apatite and zircon (U–Th) / He thermochronological data are obtained through a combination of crystal selection, He content measurement by crystal heating with analysis using noble gas mass spectrometry, and measurement of U, Th, and Sm contents by crystal dissolution as well as solution analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This contribution documents the methods for helium thermochronology used at the GEOPS laboratory, Paris-Saclay University, between 2007 and the present that allow apatite and zircon (U–Th) / He data to be obtained with precision. More specifically, we show that the He content can be determined with precision (at 5 %) and accuracy using a calibration of the He sensitivity based on the Durango apatite, and its use also appears crucial to check for He and U–Th–Sm analytical problems. The Durango apatite used as a standard is therefore a suitable mineral to perform precise He calibration and yields (U–Th) / He ages of 31.1 ± 1.4 Ma with an analytical error of less than 5 % (1σ). The (U–Th) / He ages for the Fish Canyon Tuff zircon standard yield a dispersion of about 9 % (1σ) with a mean age of 27.0 ± 2.6 Ma, which is comparable to other laboratories. For the long-term quality control of the (U–Th) / He data, attention is paid to evaluating the drift of He sensitivity and blanks through time as well as that of (U–Th) / He ages and Th / U ratios (with Sm / Th when possible), all relying on the use of Durango apatite and Fish Canyon Tuff zircon as standards.


2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. T. Short ◽  
Gottfried P. Kibelka ◽  
Robert H. Byrne ◽  
David Hollander

Author(s):  
David Mahon ◽  
Anthony Clarkson ◽  
Simon Gardner ◽  
David Ireland ◽  
Ramsey Jebali ◽  
...  

In the last decade, there has been a surge in the number of academic research groups and commercial companies exploiting naturally occurring cosmic-ray muons for imaging purposes in a range of industrial and geological applications. Since 2009, researchers at the University of Glasgow and the UK National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) have pioneered this technique for the characterization of shielded nuclear waste containers with significant investment from the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Sellafield Ltd. Lynkeos Technology Ltd. was formed in 2016 to commercialize the Muon Imaging System (MIS) technology that resulted from this industry-funded academic research. The design, construction and performance of the Lynkeos MIS is presented along with first experimental and commercial results. The high-resolution images include the identification of small fragments of uranium within a surrogate 500-litre intermediate level waste container and metal inclusions within thermally treated GeoMelt® R&D Product Samples. The latter of these are from Lynkeos' first commercial contract with the UK National Nuclear Laboratory. The Lynkeos MIS will be deployed at the NNL Central Laboratory facility on the Sellafield site in Summer 2018 where it will embark upon a series of industry trials. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ‘Cosmic-ray muography’.


Author(s):  
Stuart Marshall ◽  
Anne Miller ◽  
Yan Xiao

The paucity of reliable measures of team coordination and performance significantly obstructs the assessment of the effects of any technology on teams to improve decision making in health care. A pilot study was conducted to determine if measures of coordination and performance could be developed for teams involved in trauma resuscitation. A video assisted review of cases enabled evaluation of the use of the tools. Descriptors of coordination were derived from Klein's five-stage model of team coordination. A scoring system of team performance was developed from the University of Maryland Team Observable Performance Metric (UMTOP). After some modification both coordination and performance could be described. However, four defined stages of resuscitation were observed which greatly improved coding. More rigorous assessments of these tools will be required before firm conclusions can be drawn about the effects of a decision support tool recently introduced into the environment.


2000 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-154
Author(s):  
Martin Rohmer

In Zimbabwean society, what may not be spoken sometimes becomes acceptable in song – whether to avoid social taboos and enable a wife to complain against her mother-in-law, or in broadening the boundaries of political protest. In this article, Martin Rohmer looks back to the ways in which song enabled forms of protest against forced labour and other aspects of colonial rule – in times of outward compliance as well as of direct struggle – and considers how urban theatre groups in independent Zimbabwe have adapted the tradition to their own, contemporary ends. Martin Rohmer spent almost two years studying Zimbabwean theatre when a research assistant at the University of Bayreuth, and completed his doctorate on Theatre and Performance in Zimbabwe at the Humboldt University, Berlin, in 1997. Since then he has been working in the field of cultural management for the Young Artists' Festival in Bayreuth. The present paper was first presented at the Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association in San Francisco in November 1996.


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