Developments in radioanalytics: from Geiger counters to single atom counting

Abstract

Progress in radioanalytical science, mainly in radiometrics and mass spectrometry technologies for ultra-sensitive analyses of radionuclides applied in natural sciences is shortly reviewed. While in the radiometrics sector the greatest developments have been made in underground Ge gamma-spectrometry, in the mass spectrometry sector the accelerator mass spectrometry had dominant position reaching the status of single atom counting and compound specific analysis for some long-lived radionuclides.