In situ isotopic analysis is performed using our Teledyne-Cetac Photon Machines 193nm Analyte Excite excimer laser ablation system, which ablates the sample into particle sizes on the order of a few nanometers (nm) that can then be directly ionized by the Neptune's argon plasma.
This solid-state switched laser includes the HelEx active 2-Volume ablation cell, high-definition color GigE camera on high magnification, optical zoom, and video-microscope capable of resolving 2 μm features.
The fact that no chemical processing is necessary makes this technique extremely useful in cases where isotopic variations are expected to be significant and high-resolution data coverage is needed.
