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Recent developments in the use of SIMS in
cosmochemistry
Stadermann F. (2005) 18th Annual SIMS
Workshop.
ABSTRACT
Cosmochemistry is an interdisciplinary field of research
which involves the laboratory analysis of extraterrestrial
materials, such as meteorites, lunar samples and cosmic
dust. The studies of these materials give clues not only
about the origin of individual samples, but also about the
origin and history of the Solar System. Secondary ion mass
spectrometry is a well-established analytical technique in
this field and has been used predominately for isotope and
trace element studies. Recent advances in instrumentation,
especially the introduction of the CAMECA NanoSIMS, have had
a tremendous impact on this field and led to several
groundbreaking scientific discoveries. In this talk I will
review the use of SIMS in cosmochemistry in general and then
focus on the advances that have become possible with the
NanoSIMS and its ability to perform isotope imaging studies
at a spatial resolution of 100 nanometers.
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