Mineralogy can be considered as the study of geology at the atomic scale. At the University of Arizona we emphasize the crystallographic and thermodynamic aspects of minerals, studying them via X-ray and neutron diffraction at ambient, high-temperature, or high-pressure conditions, as well as analyses of the electron density distributions and ab initio quantum modeling. Current research programs include the following:
- Compression mechanisms of the pyroxenes
- The American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database
- Mineral database of Raman spectra for the Mars Rover 2009 mission
Faculty
Robert Downs - Mineralogy, crystallography
Charles Prewitt (emeritus) - Mineralogy, crystallography
Researchers
Hexiong Yang - Mineralogy
Facilities, Equipment, and Resources
- Three single crystal X-ray diffractometers, two are Pickers for high-pressure studies, and one is a Bruker X8Apex with CCD for ambient and high-temperature studies
- D8 Advance Bruker X-ray powder diffractometer
- Gas-loading diamond cell facilities for hydrostatic conditions to high-pressures.
- Raman spectrometer