Abstract
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was undertaken using an instrument which used a high-powered microscope to deliver the light and tightly focused the low energy laser beam onto the surface of a solid sample. A micro-plasma was generated on the surface of the sample under test even though the amount of energy/pulse from a beam of 532 nm was <1 mJ. Rare earth elements such as europium, gadolinium, lanthanum, neodymium, praseodymium, samarium, and a transition metal, yttrium, were tested. These elements are important in nuclear fission reactions especially for estimation of actinide masses for non-proliferation “safeguards”. Each element was mixed in the graphite matrix in different percentages from 1% to 50% by weight and the LIBS spectra were obtained for each composition as well as after mixing each element in the same amount using oxides of the elements. The data for the 5% mixture of the rare earth elements with graphite powder along with the transition metal has been presented in this article. A micro-LIBS approach was used to demonstrate that these rare earth elements can be identified individually and in a complex mixture in glove boxes in which the microscope LIBS instrument is housed in a nuclear research environment.
Highlights
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis of nuclear materials is realizing increased interest for actinide mass and isotopic measurements
The successful detection of rare earth elements such as Eu, Gd, La, Nd, Pr, Sm, and one transition metal, Y, was performed using a LIBS optical detection system coupled with a laser scribing instrument for the first time
The rare earth oxides and transition metal oxides were mixed in a 5% oxide and a 95%
Summary
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis of nuclear materials is realizing increased interest for actinide mass and isotopic measurements. This article will provide an insider’s look at the challenges and potential for routine LIBS application to high-level radiological samples. By identifying practical needs in non-routine sample analysis, LIBS can supplement conventional methods by providing rapid sample characterization of solid and concentrated liquid samples. As a microanalytical (submicrogram) sampling technique, LIBS can provide analysis of the limited sample masses permitted for high-level materials outside radiological hot cells. For isotopes such as Pu-238 or Cm-244, glove boxes are typically limited to subgram quantities, and chemical hoods to submicrograms [3,5]. The rare earths have been chosen to be studied based on the information
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