This award provides partial funding support for the operation of the High-Resolution X-Ray Computed Tomography Laboratory in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Texas, Austin. X-ray computed tomography is a non-destructive technique for imaging the interior of opaque solids. To produce images, X-rays are directed through a slice of specimen along thousands of different paths. Measurements of the attenuation of the X-ray signal along each path are combined mathematically to generate a map of values for the linear attenuation coefficient at hundreds of thousands of points within the slice. Since attenuation is mainly dependent upon specimen density, the result is a map of density contrasts within the slice. A three-dimensional image is constructed by stacking contiguous slice images. Originally developed for medical diagnosis, the technology has been adapted for earth science applications by substantially increasing the energy and intensity of the X-ray source and increasing the spatial resolution of the images by nearly two orders of magnitude. Applications in the earth sciences include imaging the porosity of drill cores to understand the flow of groundwater and oil, imaging internal structures of fossil specimens, non-destructive studies of the textures of metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks. This award will make it possible to operate the X-ray Computed Tomography Lab as a multi-user facility open to qualified researchers at nominal cost. ***
