ACTINIDES

Description

Actinides Analysis by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is a highly sensitive technique that allows measurement of extremely low abundances of long-lived rare isotopes relative to their common isotopes, down to levels of 10⁻¹⁵. These isotopic ratios serve as important markers for understanding natural or anthropogenic processes affecting ecosystems and human activity over time.

ISOCORE operates an AMS facility at the Department of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli,” based on a 9SDH-2 Pelletron tandem accelerator (NEC, USA). The system includes a sputter ion source (MC-SNICS) with 40 cathodes, a magnet-based sequential injection system (MBS), a 3 MV tandem accelerator with dual Pelletron chains for terminal voltage stabilization, a recirculating gas stripper, a 90° analyzing magnet, and a 90° electrostatic analyzer. Rare isotopes are detected in an ionization chamber telescope, while abundant isotopes are measured in offset Faraday cups.

AMS routinely measures isotopic ratios of radionuclides such as ¹⁰Be, ¹⁴C, ²⁶Al, ¹²⁹I, ²³⁶U, and Pu isotopes. Its exceptional sensitivity enables high-precision applications in archaeology, artwork authentication, environmental and agri-food studies, and characterization of actinides in nuclear wastes and releases.