Noble gas mass spectrometers

The Noblesse 1F3M and Noblesse HR 3F6M mass spectrometers are multi-collector instruments designed to measure the abundance and isotopic composition of noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) under static vacuum conditions.
These instruments are coupled with noble gas extraction and purification lines designed and assembled at the IPGP. Various extraction techniques (crushing, laser heating, and induction heating) are used to release gases trapped in diverse samples, such as quartz, barite, basalt, meteorites etc. Automated purification lines then remove reactive chemical species (H₂O, CO₂, CH₄, etc.) before cryogenically separating the noble gases to prepare pure gas fractions which are then introduced into the instrument.

Noblesse 1F3M: Primarily used to analyze noble gases in gas and water samples collected by technical staff from IPGP volcanological observatories. In 2025, a new extraction line for gases dissolved in water was installed by laboratory engineers (C. Chaduteau and D. Rigoussen).

Noblesse HR 3F6M: Dedicated to measurements for the ERC ATTRACTE project.

It focuses on tracking the evolution of atmospheric composition from the Archean to the present day by extracting gas from paleo-atmospheric archives, such as hydrothermal quartz. In 2026, a new nitrogen purification line was assembled and attached to the Noblesse HR 3F6M. This setup enables coupled measurements of nitrogen abundance alongside the abundance and isotopic composition of noble gases. Future developments will also allow for the measurement of the isotopic composition of nitrogen contained within the samples.

These facilities, part of the PARI platform, are also integrated into the RéGEF (Noble Gas Network) research infrastructure of the CNRS-INSU.