Glossary
- 3DTE
Abbreviation for the 3D Trace Elements DRS. More information about this DRS is available`here <https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/ja/d3ja00037k>`_
- QA/QC
Quality Assurance/Quality Control. In this sense, it refers to checking that the results of secondary reference materials are sufficiently close to the accepted values and are not too dispersed. The definition of “sufficiently close” and “not too dispersed” will depend both on the application, the experiment setup and the elements/ratios in question.
- RM
- RMs
Abbreviation for Reference Material or Reference Materials
- sample
A sample measurement, usually defined in either the laser log file or mass spec file. Typically, a selection is created for each sample, as well as a corresponding baseline selection before and/or after a sample. The analyst may subsequently decide to adjust the selection to avoid artefacts such as drill-throughs, surface contamination etc. Samples are divided into two types: ‘Mass spec’ or ‘Log’. Mass spec samples are those defined in the mass spec raw data files, and are sometimes referred to as Data samples. Not all mass spec files define samples. Log samples are those defined in the laser log file.
- selection
A selected interval that is defined for all channels. Selections can represent baseline/background intervals, reference material measurements, or unknown measurements. Selections are used to interpolate baseline and reference material splines, as well as report statistics such as mean, uncertainties etc for each measurement. Selections are used so that the entire interval of a sample does not have to be used to calculate results. Selections are grouped into Selection Groups.
- selection group
- selection groups
A group of selections that represent similar intervals within an experiment. For example, baseline selections are grouped into a Baselines selection group. Selection groups are categorized into three types: Baseline, Reference Material, or Sample (unknown). The categorization of a selection group determines whether splines will be calculated for that group, as well as the statistic options (including outlier rejection) used to calculate the mean, uncertainty etc for the selections within that group.
- spline
- splines
In iolite this is a catchall term used to describe the interpolations created for things such as baselines, reference material responses etc. The actual interpolation method is a choice for the analyst, and may be anything from a simple linear interpolation through to step functions or variably smoothed cubic splines.
- wash-in
The period during which ablation has started but a steady signal (for line traverses) or maximum signal (for spot analyses) has not yet been reached
- wash-out
The period during which ablation has finished but signals have not returned to baselines.
- yield
A measure of ablation efficiency, measured in counts per ppm. Higher yield suggests greater ablation volumes for a material, and vice versa. Differences in yield can affect calibration curves/surfaces.