Freiburg 2024 – scientific programme

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MS: Fachverband Massenspektrometrie

MS 6: New Methods, AMS II, Applications, Actinides

MS 6.2: Talk

Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 17:30–17:45, HS 3042

Assessment of anthropogenic actinide background levels on HZDR’s research campus — •Sebastian Fichter¹, Karin Hain², Peter Steier², Michael Hotchkis³, and Anton Wallner¹ — ¹Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Dresden, Germany — ²University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Isotope Physics, Vienna, Austria — ³Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, Australia

The new multi-purpose 1-MV AMS facility HAMSTER (Helmholtz Accelerator Mass Spectrometer for Tracing Environmental Radionuclides) in Dresden-Rossendorf will commence operation in 2024. The new machine is dedicated to the analysis of ultra-trace levels of actinides in environmental samples. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the actinide background on HZDR’s research campus to rule out any potential contamination caused by the former research reactor on-site. Hence, several soil samples close to the construction site of the new accelerator building and former radioisotope production facilities have been analyzed. The samples have been processed in the existing chemistry labs of HZDR’s 6-MV DREAMS facility and the newly established HAMSTER labs showing comparable low background levels. The measured Pu concentrations and isotopic ratios are in agreement with global fallout signature. However, in some samples increased ²³⁶U concentrations and relatively low ²³³U/²³⁶U atomic ratios have been detected pointing to an additional reactor source of ²³⁶U. Additional sample analysis will be performed with HAMSTER in 2024.

Keywords: Actinide; AMS; Environmental sample