UCSC-GEOPATHS SUMMER INTERNSHIP: A Summary of High-Pressure Techniques Used to Collect Raman Spectroscopy Data of Cummingtonite Under Compression — Ali Fuat Yuvali and Elise Knittle

Abstract:

UCSC-GEOPATHS SUMMER INTERNSHIP

A Summary of High-Pressure Techniques Used to Collect Raman Spectroscopy Data of Cummingtonite Under Compression — Ali Fuat Yuvali and Elise Knittle

University of California Santa Cruz, Earth and Planetary Science

UCSC GEOPATHS is an NSF-supported initiative to improve student success in the geosciences, driven by a desire to broaden participation. One component of the program is undergraduate student internships that provide authentic, career-relevant experiences – across all employment sectors – to increase student engagement in the geoscience pipeline.

My GEOPATHS Internship at the Raman lab at University of California Santa Cruz focused on investigating the thermodynamic properties and the changes to the crystal structure of iron-magnesium bearing amphibole, cummingtonite, under compression. The high-pressure experiments utilized Raman spectroscopy through the high-pressure diamond-anvil cell. Raman spectroscopy is a quick and non-destructive method to investigate structural changes in this mineral. In these experiments, a monochromatic light source is used to excite the Raman vibrational spectrum of the mineral and the shift in the wavelength of the Raman scattering with pressure is measured. A diamond-anvil cell (DAC) is used to generate high pressures and provide optical access to the sample with a maximum pressure of 25 GPa generated in this experiment. The internship exposed me to new analytical instrumentation and procedures and provided opportunities for scientific communication. More detailed explanation of techniques used to load the DAC and interpret the data will be presented along with the experiences that highlight the GEOPATHS program.