Upgrade to the Superconducting Rock Magnetometer and Acquisition of a High-Sensitivity Susceptibility System, Paleomagnetism Laboratory

University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM

Investigators

Abstract

0213978 Geissman This award will support an important upgrade to the superconducting rock magnetometer (2G Enterprises 760R three axis system) and will support the addition of a high sensitivity Kappabridge for the Paleomagnetism Laboratory at the University of New Mexico. The upgrade and equipment acquisition will considerably enhance the capability of our laboratory in paleomagnetic and rock magnetic research, which is and has been utilized by a range of University of New Mexico (UNM) and outside researchers. The magnetometer upgrade will greatly improve the overall operation of the laboratory and will involve (1) replacing the Rf-driven SQuIDs with DC SQuIDS, affording at least an order of magnitude greater moment sensitivity over the existing Rf-driven SQuIDS, (2) reducing the specimen access region from 7.6 cm diameter to 4.2 cm, (3) retrofitting the magnetometer with improved superinsulation, allowing for a considerably decreased liquid helium boil-off rate, and (4) replacing part of the liquid helium fill line with an enlarged access line, to prevent the nagging development of major freezing (and blockage) of the line. These upgrades to the magnetometer will improve our ability to measure very weakly magnetized rocks that typically defy our best attempts to extract useful information near the current threshold of the magnetometer. The requested new susceptibility system, will be used to measure bulk and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of a range of geologic materials. ***