January+17-18

January 17th:

I did not scan today. Becky was speculating that the Polonium-210 may not be emitting as many alpha-particles as we think or would like. So, instead of scanning, Becky had me go through a list of various elements that are locally available. My goal was to determine what type of particles these elements emit during decay. Also, Becky had me calculate how much approximately how much Polonium-210 remains from the original sample, which has been used since May 2010.

January 18th:

Becky suggested scanning a sample of graphite instead of the usual Au(III). This is not only for practice, but also to see if the interference on the microscope is at all tied to the sample. Our graphite samples are made by taking a small graphite sample, applying a piece of tape to the top, and peeling the tape off. This takes off only the top layer of the graphite, preserving the sample and extending its use.