Wow! January is flying by! We are already in the last full week of January since next Friday is Feb 1. It has been a very busy first month of 2013 for me. My goal this semester is to finish my lab work by the summer, which would allow me to focus on writing the 4 papers that I have collected partial data for. These four are in varying degrees of completion from the merely conceptual to actually having a semi-outline written. However, they all have some lab work done and lots more remaining. They are all using completely separate datasets as well. This means I have about 50-60 water samples to extract iodine from and about the same number of soil samples…although I have to get my solid sample extraction method done. Happily, I think I can write a methodology paper from that work so that is some reward. But enough of me whining about my daunting workload. You came here because of the misleading title about some photo and I don’t want to disappoint.
Therefore, the photo of the week is of the accelerator part of the accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS). Pictured below is a 3 million volt particle accelerator that is located at IsoTrace the University of Ottawa’s AMS facility. It is getting up there in age, in fact it is well over 40 years old, but that does not mean it is garbage just yet. Although we are getting a new one next year.
The 3 million volt particle accelertor at IsoTrace that I do my analysis on. (Photo: Matt Herod)
The photo below is the part of the AMS that I have christened the “beverage section”. This is because of the coffee can that is attached to the machine. I don’t remember why it is there, but it does have a purpose. There are also tea strainers located there too, but they are not pictured. As anyone that has worked with older equipment knows it needs lots and lots of TLC and most older machines are duct taped and jerry rigged together in order to keep them working. The AMS is no exception.
The “beverage section” of the machine that goes to the high energy gas ionization detector for heavy isotopes. Yes, that is a coffee can attached the machine. From the perspective of the photo atoms are coming towards you. (Photo: Matt Herod)
Thanks for reading…now back to work (directed at me, not you)
Matt
