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New iCAP-RQ/Analyte Excite+ LA-ICPMS installed

The Isotope Geology Laboratory has a new LA-ICPMS platform for in situ trace element and U-Th-Pb isotope ratio analysis of accessory minerals. Installation was completed in late 2020 of a new ThermoScientific iCAP-RQ quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer and Teledyne Analyte Excite+ 193 nm excimer laser ablation platform.  The new mass spectrometer provides higher sensititivity and easy transition between standard and collision cell kinetic energy discrimination modes. The more consistent power delivery and shorter wavelength of the laser energy provide enhanced ablation, and the two-volume cell provides enhanced transport of analytes to the plasma and sampling efficiencies. Together we are achieving an order of magnitude greater sensitivity for a given sampling geometry over our previous LA-ICPMS system.