Nordsim and Vega

The Vega Centre and Nordsim, both located at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, merged in 2018 to form the Nordsim/Vega Laboratory. Vega uses laser technology to release materials from geological samples, which can then be analysed using a mass spectrometer.

This technology is central for a large range of current research fields, such as geosciences, where it enables both fundamental and innovative investigations of both natural (minerals, fossils, etc.) and synthetic materials in terms of their chemical and isotopic construction, atomic structure (surface and internal), and surface texture.

The previous Nordic infrastructure Nordsim is similar, but the material is released using an ion beam instead.