This is the fall 2021 newsletter sent out about a week ago...
Hi all,
The Probe Software user forum has been busy this fall, with over 21 new topics and over 277 new posts just since Sept 1. The forum totals currently stand at 9835 Posts in 1210 Topics by 696 Members... here are some recent highlights...
Of course the Open Letter to the MicroAnalysis Community was the big topic this season:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1415.0If you haven't seen this letter yet please read it, comment and *please* offer to participate in this endeavor. We need "all hands on deck" as an international community in order to identify, locate and procure these synthetic standard materials in quantities sufficient for global distribution.
Some of you (Will Nachlas, John Fournelle, Aurelien Moy, Nicholas Ritchie, Dawn Ruth and others) have already been contacting industrial/commercial producers of synthetic minerals and have gotten quotations. Thank-you, this is useful information for subsequent planning! But we need more volunteers to contact people in government/state laboratories, especially in Russia and China, who (I've been told) may have such materials stashed away and "ours for the asking".
If you do begin such investigations (treasure hunt?), and obtain information leading to the location of suitable synthetic minerals, please post your discovery to this topic and contact Will Nachlas at the address/email found in this post:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1415.msg10368#msg10368Meanwhile, others such as Crystal Grower, suggest other possible candidates for synthetic mineral standards such as MgSiO3:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1405.msg10308#msg10308We appreciate all suggestions and even better, possible sources for obtaining such materials! And related to the above is the discussion on the accuracy of inter-laboratory measurements discussed in this topic on cpx/opx barometer accuracy, where sem-geologist and Dave Adams discuss Na standards:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1404.msg10310#msg10310On another topic, Probeman points out the importance of including coating corrections especially for quant mapping, especially when ones standards are carbon coated, but the unknowns are not (even for energetic emission lines like Fe Ka):
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1407.msg10313#msg10313Axel Wittmann asks for help and Nicholas Ritchie responds with analyzing sub micron grains of NiP separated from meteorites:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1408.0A paper by Donovan, Allaz, von der Handt, Seward, Neill, Goemann, Chouinard, and Carpenter on quantitative WDS mapping came out this fall:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1212.msg10330#msg10330It's a long paper but worth a read if you also would like to produce fully quantitative WDS elemental maps yourself. Remember: treat your pixels, just like your points!
John Donovan points out the importance of using sufficiently "hot" conditions for quant x-ray mapping, in order to obtain reasonable statistics in your quant maps:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=73.msg10336#msg10336Probeman discusses the effects of the matrix correction on trace vs. minor elements:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=92.msg10342#msg10342And for light elements such as fluorine, these matrix effects of unanalyzed elements can become quite large, as discussed here:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=92.msg10136#msg10136The actual GUI options in Probe for EPMA are discussed here for elements calculated by stoichiometry to stoichiometrically calculated oxygen:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=92.msg10131#msg10131A discussion on the detection limits calculations for multi-point backgrounds (MPB) elements is here:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1293.msg10343#msg10343Since the calculation of detection limits depends not only on the peak intensity, but also the background intensities, obviously the MPB detection limit calculation is depends on the "Iterate To" parameter specified for MPB elements. Note this parameter can be modified for off-line processing in Probe for EPMA.
We added a new "Acquisition Options" button in the "Basic EPMA" window as shown here:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=71.msg10344#msg10344for beginners and casual users of the software, as suggested by Anette von der Handt.
Anette von der Handt also pointed out a handy feature that some may not be aware of, for acquiring a different number of standard points per standard in the Probe for EPMA Automate! window:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=71.msg10345#msg10345The latest Penepma (pure element) simulations now include modeling up to 30 keV.
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=837.msg10346#msg10346To update to the latest Penepma simulation files, see this link:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=202.msg9589#msg9589When one uses the Combine Data Lines From Selected Samples button in the Analyze! window, new code now utilizes the EDS spectra for quantified EDS elements:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=8.msg10349#msg10349Phil Orlandini is brainstorming on creating a "hybrid" microanalysis instrument:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1410.0Got some ideas? Please chime in!
A while back we added additional modeling to simulate the "polygonization tail" effects in WDS Bragg crystals:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=40.msg10357#msg10357But it does take a bit more time, so we have made it an "option" for our "demo" mode when used for teaching.
Probeman's new favorite color palette:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1003.msg10358#msg10358Just kidding! A new "history of Cameca" topic has been made:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1412.msg10359#msg10359Have any stories from the "olden days"? Please feel free to contribute.
Probeman responds to comments from Jon Wade and SEM_geologist on the proposal to create global microanalyssi standards using high purity synthetic minerals:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1415.msg10377#msg10377Here is a post on the Google spreadsheet created by Nicholas Ritchie to document the availability of synthetic mineral standards:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1415.msg10382#msg10382Anette von der Handt made a wish that there could be some sort of "zoom" feature in the Pixel Extraction window in CalcImage:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=249.msg10383#msg10383This latest code modification should work we think.
Brian Joy and Changkun park discuss changes in peak shape over time from PET crystals on JEOL instruments:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=854.msg10388#msg10388Probeman asks about gun align failures at higher beam energies and sem-geologists responds:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1416.msg10396#msg10396New keywords have been added to the [Image] section of the Probewin.ini file to specify the default image size and default image acquisition channel:
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=40.msg10404#msg10404Axel Wittmann announces a new geoanalysis conference in Freiberg, next August (2022):
https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=99.msg10411#msg10411That's all for now. Looking forward to the holidays and in the northern hemisphere we're getting close to the longest nights of the year, so I at least am also looking forward to the coming spring! Hoping you all are well and staying safe.
Regards,
The Probe Software Users Forum Team.
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