Ion sources for accelerator mass spectrometry (invited) (abstract)a)

Abstract

In accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), extremely low concentrations of trace isotopes are measured from sample materials in the milligram range. This requires ion sources with high overall efficiency and great versatility. Since almost all AMS work is performed with tandem accelerators, negative ion sources are required and the Cs-beam sputter source became the workhorse of AMS. A variety of sophisticated multiple-sample sputter sources, for both solid and gaseous sample materials, are now available for AMS. More recently, electron cyclotron resonance sources in conjunction with heavy-ion accelerators such as linacs and cyclotrons have been explored for AMS of long-lived noble gas radionuclides (which do not form negative ions). This paper will attempt to review the particular features of ion sources relevant for AMS, with emphasis on recent developments and future possibilities.