SAMOP 2021 – scientific programme
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MS: Fachverband Massenspektrometrie
MS 7: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry I
MS 7.6: Talk
Thursday, September 23, 2021, 12:15–12:30, H3
First studies on 99Tc detection using Ion Laser InterAction Mass Spectrometry (ILIAMS) — •Johanna Pitters1,2, Fadime Gülce1, Karin Hain1, Martin Martschini1, and Robin Golser1 — 1University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics — 2Vienna Doctoral School in Physics
Minute environmental concentrations of the anthropogenic radionuclide 99Tc (t1/2=2.1·105 a) can serve as a tracer for transport processes e.g. in oceanography. However, detection of environmental 99Tc presently requires Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) at the largest facilities available in order to adequately suppress the strong interference from the isobar 99Ru.
As part of an FWF-funded project, we aim at making 99Tc accessible for measurement at the 3-MV facility VERA (Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator) with the novel isobar suppression technique of ILIAMS (Ion Laser InterAction Mass Spectrometry). For this development, laser photodetachment, chemical sample preparation, sample matrix material and ion source output all require optimization. As there is no stable Tc isotope, a normalization to an isotopic Tc spike material, e.g. 97Tc, or a stable reference isotope of another element needs to be established as well.
This contribution presents the ongoing development and preliminary results, which yield a laser-suppression of Ru by up to 5 orders of magnitude and a 99Tc-detection limit of less than 106 atoms.