Mineral-specific trace element contents of interplanetary dust particles

Sections of interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) have been analyzed with proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) in order to determine trace element contents and distributions on a micrometer scale as well as particle densities and masses. To accomplish this, several improvements of the proton microprobe and of the data acquisition system, as well as special sample preparation were necessary.