GeoSoilEnviroCARS (GSECARS) is a national, multi-user facility for frontier research in the earth sciences using synchrotron radiation at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. GSECARS provides earth scientists with access to the high-brilliance hard x-rays from this third-generation synchrotron light source. A proposal-based system for beamtime allocation, open to all earth scientists, has been in place for about seven years (since Fall, 1998). Eleven hundred (1,100) beamtime proposals have been received, more than 600 unique outside users have conducted experiments, and over 400 publications have resulted. Forty-five percent (46%) of these users were students. The research conducted at this facility is advancing our knowledge of the composition, structure and properties of earth materials, the processes they control, and the processes that produce them. All principal synchrotron-based analytical techniques in demand by earth scientists are being brought to bear on earth science problems: (1) high-pressure/high-temperature crystallography and spectroscopy using the diamond anvil cell; (2) high-pressure/high-temperature crystallography and imaging using the large-volume press; (3) powder, single crystal and interface diffraction; (4) inelastic x-ray scattering; (5) x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy; (6) x-ray fluorescence microprobe analysis; and (7) microtomography.
This renewal project will: (1) support the continued operation of GSECARS as a national-user facility, and (2) develop and implement new experimental instrumentation to extend the capabilities of the facility. Improvements will include: (1) monochromator upgrades for more reproducible and stable operation; (2) photon shutter additions to improve beam stability; (3) detector mount upgrades to optimize CAESAR applications; (4) laser heating system upgrades to improve positional and power stability; and (5) a MAR CCD detector purchase for diffraction applications.
The broader impact of the project, and our primary mission, is to provide a research environment where users receive expert assistance in planning and conducting experiments, and in analyzing data. This collaborative mode of operation, which allows the facility to be accessible to synchrotron radiation novices, requires a staff of highly qualified beamline scientists and technical personnel. GSECARS is the world's foremost synchrotron-based facility dedicated to serving the needs of the earth science community.
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Activity Overview: GeoSoilEnviroCARS (GSECARS) is a national user facility for frontier research in the earth sciences using synchrotron radiation at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. GSECARS provides earth scientists with access to the high-brilliance hard x-rays from this third-generation synchrotron light source. All principal synchrotron-based analytical techniques in demand by earth scientists are being brought to bear on earth science problems: (1) high-pressure/high-temperature crystallography and spectroscopy using the diamond anvil cell; (2) high-pressure/high-temperature crystallography and imaging using the large-volume press; (3) powder, single crystal and interface diffraction; (4) inelastic x-ray scattering; (5) x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy; (6) x-ray fluorescence microprobe analysis; and (7) microtomography. A proposal-based system implemented since 1998 is used for beam time allocation, and provides free access to the entire scientific community. Intellectual Merit: The research conducted at GSECARS has greatly advanced our knowledge of the composition, structure and properties of earth materials, the processes that produce them and the processes they control. The unique capabilities of the APS and GSECARS has allowed groundbreaking experiments to be conducted in research areas relevant to the NSF-Earth Science programs including (1) high pressure mineral physics and chemistry, (2) non-crystalline and nano-crystalline materials at high pressure, (3) igneous petrology, (4) hydrothermal fluid chemistry, (5) mineral-water interface reactions, (6) biogeochemistry, (7) flow dynamics of fluids and solids, and (8) cosmochemical studies of extraterrestrial materials. Examples of experimental topics include: (1) chemical reactivity of minerals at the core-mantle boundary, (2) electronic state of iron in deep Earth compounds, (3) melting properties of Fe-X alloys (X=S, Si, C, etc), (3) rheological properties of multiphase, lower mantle assemblages in the ductile and brittle regimes, (4) effects of phase transitions in real mantle minerals on deep earthquakes, (5) structure, density, elasticity, and viscosity of melts at simultaneous high pressure and temperature, (6) crystal size effects on structure, phase transformation and elastic properties at high pressure and temperature, (7) valence state partitioning in igneous minerals, (8) speciation of metals in hydrothermal fluids, (9) environmental behavior of actinide-bearing compounds, (9) redox dynamics of multivalent trace elements in soils, (10) carbon sequestration relevant reactions using in-situ microreactors, and (11) early solar system conditions revealed through analyses of extraterrestrial materials. Broader Impacts: The proposed research has had broad impacts on society because it addresses quality-of-life issues such as carbon sequestration, environmental remediation, properties of nano-materials and earthquake generation. Our primary mission is to continue to provide a research environment where users receive expert assistance in planning and conducting experiments and in analyzing data. This collaborative mode of operation, which allows the facility to be accessible to students and synchrotron radiation novices, requires a staff of highly qualified beamline scientists and technical personnel. GSECARS develops advanced hardware and software that benefits many accelerator facilities worldwide. GSECARS is the world’s foremost synchrotron-based facility dedicated to serving the needs of the earth science community. On average, during this award users conducted 255 experiments per year, with over 389 user-visits, and 230 unique users each year. Research at GSECARS has resulted in over 971 publications in the APS database, including 563 in this award period.
