This award provides 52% of the funds required for the purchase of component parts and machine shop charges for the construction of improvements to a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer installed and operated in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology. The Institute is committed to providing the remaining funds needed for this upgrade. The upgrade will significantly enhance the ability of the mineral spectroscopy group at Caltech to obtain spectra on very small samples through an infrared microscope. The scientific applications for the enhanced capability include studies of zonation profiles of water and carbon dioxide in minerals and glasses, and the determination of the concentration and chemical speciation of water in natural and synthetic mineral phases.
