2D mapping of rare earth fluorescence on rocks

What is it about?

Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) imaging can detect and distinguish various rare earth elements (REE) in large and complex geologically relevant samples such as rock pieces. With the 2D-LIF scanning we obtained an REE luminescence distribution map, which could be correlated to mineral phases (mainly apatite) by complementary electron microscopy analysis. This work sets the basis for our ongoing development of a combined LIF and hyperspectral imaging sensor for REE detection which we aim to develop within the project inSPECtor (https://eitrawmaterials.eu/project/inspector/).

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