• School website
• Our research
• Research groups
• Isotope Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry
• Research themes
  • The Prehistory of the Solar System
  • Formation and Early Evolution of the Solar System
  • Stardust and Genesis
  • The Moon
  • Volatile Evolution of Terrestrial Planets
  • Mantle Geochemistry
  • Fluid Systems
  • Climate change
  • Novel Instrumentation

Novel Instrumentation

Our group studies the Earth and solar system by analysing extraterrestrial and terrestrial samples with the latest techniques of isotopic and elemental analysis. Group interests range from the prehistory of the solar system (studying the material from which it was made) through the chronology of the formation process to subsequent evolution of minor bodies and terrestrial planets.

Key equipment, much of which was developed by our group, includes:

• RELAX - Refrigerator Enhanced Laser Analyser for Xenon - is a unique resonance ionisation mass spectrometer with detection limits of a few 10s of atoms.

• RPMS - Resonance Photoionisation Mass Spectrometer for detection of ultra-trace amounts of Krypton in extraterrestrial samples.

• IDLE - Interstellar Dust Laser Explorer. This TOF-SIMS - (Time-Of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectometery)- instrument is used for the in-situ analysis of almost all elements with high spatial resolution, high mass resolution and high sensitivity. Its main purpose is the analysis of interstellar (presolar) grains.

• MC-ICP-MS - Multi Collector Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer equipped with a laser ablation system for in-situ analysis.