Accelerator mass spectrometer of the center for collective use of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract

The accelerator mass spectrometer developed at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics for 14C dating has been installed at the Geochronology of the Cenozoic Era Center for Collective Use. Currently, measurement and sample preparation techniques providing necessary accuracy and sensitivity are under development. Stable performance of the accelerator facility under 1-MV operation with a 12C+3 ion current above 1 μA at the analyzer exit is achieved, which provides a 14C+3 ion flux of ∼104 ion/h from a contemporary sample (14C/12C ∼ 1.2 × 10−12). The counting rate from a “dead” sample (MPG graphite) is less than 100 ion/h. The system is flexible enough to be adapted for operation with aluminum and beryllium isotopes. The first radiocarbon concentration measurements in test samples and the system description are presented.