The (U-Th-Sm)/He lab is equipped with an Alphachron automated system for helium measurement. We routinely measure 2 laser pans of 24 aliquots each in automatic mode in 1 week. We collaborate with PD Dr. Johannes Glodny in section 3.1 at the German Research Centre for Geosciences; he is responsible for sample dissolution and analysis of U, Th and Sm using ICP-MS. At present, we analyze both apatites and zircons.

The Potsdam ⁴He/³He Thermochronology Laboratory at the University of Potsdam, Germany is dedicated to high-precision measurement of ⁴He and ³He noble gas abundances and isotopic ratios (i.e. ⁴He³He) in U-bearing accessory minerals such as apatite.
The laboratory is equipped with a Helix SFT Thermo Scientific mass spectrometer recently acquired and funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The Helix SFT is connected to a Thermo extraction and purification Prepline dedicated to mineral …

The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating method is a modification/improvement of the ⁴⁰K-⁴⁰Ar method. The utilised decay system is the electron capture by a ⁴⁰K parent nuclide and the production of a ⁴⁰Ar daughter nuclide with a decay constant (Λe) of 0.581 x 10⁻¹⁰. In addition, beta-decay of ⁴⁰K to ⁴⁰Ca also occurs with a decay constant (Λb) of 4.96 x 10⁻¹⁰, but this branch is not used. For the K-Ar method, direct determination of potassium concentrations on sample aliquots is necessary. In contrast, for …

The lab is equipped with a Leica DMR microscope with a drawing tube, a Kinetek computer-driven stage, a Calcomp digitizing tablet, and FT Stage software. A video camera is mounted on the triaxial head of the microscope, allowing a group of people to observe a slide simultaneously. At present, we are only analyzing apatites. However, we plan on analyzing zircons in the future.