Low energy AMS of americium and curium

Abstract

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) has evolved over the past years as one of the most sensitive, selective, and robust techniques for actinide analyses. While analyses of U and Pu isotopes have already become routine at the ETH Zurich 0.5MV AMS system “Tandy”, there is an increasing demand for highly sensitive analyses of the higher actinides such as Am and Cm for bioassay applications and beyond. In order to extend the actinide capabilities of the compact ETH Zurich AMS system and to develop new, more sensitive bioassay routines, a pilot study was carried out. The aim was to investigate and document the performance and the potential background of Am and Cm analyses with low energy AMS. Our results show that 241Am and Cm isotopes can be determined relative to a 243Am tracer if samples and AMS standards are prepared identically with regard to the matrix elements, in which the sample is dispersed. In this first test, detection limits for Cm and Am isotopes are all in the sub-femtogram range and even below 100ag for Cm isotopes. In a systematic background study in the mass range of the Cm isotopes, two formerly unknown metastable triply charged Th molecules were found on amu(244) and amu(248). The presence of such a background is not a principal problem for AMS if the stripper pressure is increased accordingly. Based on our first results, we conclude that ultra-trace analyses of Am and Cm isotopes for bioassay are very well possible with low energy AMS.