He stripping for AMS of ²³⁶U and other actinides using a 3 MV tandem accelerator

Author(s)

Stephan R. Winkler, Peter Steier, Josef Buchriegler, Johannes Lachner, Johanna Pitters, Alfred Priller, Robin Golser

Abstract

Interest in the long-lived radioisotope

²³⁶U (t

_1/2 = 23.4 million years) has significantly increased recently, due to the emergence of environmental and earth science applications. Presently, only a few (AMS) accelerator mass spectrometry instruments are suited for this measurement. One major limitation is the relatively low total detection efficiency (on the order of 10

^-4), which is partly caused by a low stripping yield of the positive ion charge state selected after the tandem accelerator. It has been shown that high yield can be achieved using helium as stripper gas for uranium ion energies below 0.35 MeV. Here we investigate the potential of He stripping of U at the 3-MV tandem accelerator VERA. Phenomenological charge state distributions for U and Th are presented for terminal voltages from 1.0 to 1.7 MV. These terminal voltages provide better background rejection than possible below 1 MeV, and are suited to the widely used 1-3 MV workhorses of many accelerator mass spectrometry laboratories. The methods can be applied to other actinides also.

Organisation(s)

Isotope Physics

External organisation(s)

National Research Foundation, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

Journal

Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section B. Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms

Volume

361

Pages

458-464

No. of pages

7

ISSN

0168-583X

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2015.04.029

Publication date

10-2015

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103014 Nuclear physics

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Nuclear and High Energy Physics, Instrumentation

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/dc1a5139-7be3-49ff-8c12-fddcf862e0da