PHYS255 ANSTO Report

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

Daniel Fallins - 5163456

Abstract:
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is a technique utilised for highly sensitive
analysis of isotopes. At ANSTO, the spectrometry capabilities play a large part in not
only Australian by international research in many fields including environmental
science, climate variability and archaeology. ANSTOs Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
team focuses on growing and developing advanced methods for this isotopic analysis,
and too on enhancing established techniques for sample processing. ANSTO uses this
spectrometry for common applications such as radiocarbon dating, with Carbon-14
having a half-life of 5730 years. This sensitivity allows for Accelerator Mass
Spectrometry to be used for an abundance of large-half-life radioisotopes found in
nature, making this a power technique for determining the aging and dating purposes.
For example, analysis of Beryllium-10, Aluminium-26 and Chlorine-36, whilst also
possessing the ability to detect Iodine-129, Uranium-236 and Plutonium. This procedure
is undertaken through chemical methods to isolate miniscule amounts of elements of
concern and to prepare for measurement in the accelerator. At ANSTO, the team
employs the Australian National Tandem for Applied Research (ANTARES) and Small
Tandem for Applied Research (STAR) accelerators for the uses of carbon-dating and
cosmogenic isotopic tracing. Lastly, stable isotopes are too analysed in these laboratories
using the Elemental Analyser-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer
(EA-IRMS).

Theory
Accelerator mass spectrometry utilises several fundamental physical principles in its
operation. Firstly, the procedure involves the acceleration of particles. This is done through
the exploitation of the inherent charge of these particles, as this allows for their manipulation
by both electric and magnetic fields. Initially, to accelerate the emitted particles an accelerator
cathode attracts the negatively charged particles and as only the particles equally attracted in
all directions can pass through, thus producing an accelerated beam of particles, given by
v=
2qV
m
(1)
Where v is the velocity, q is the charge of the particle, V is the applied voltage and m is the
mass of the particle. The next physical principle utilised by AMS is the force resultant of
moving charge in a magnetic field. The force on the particles is given by

F B=qv B(2)

Where F is the force on the particle, q and v are as equation (1), and B is the magnetic field
strengths. Therefore, these particles are accelerated in a curve, and as they have varying
masses each different isotope experiences different curve radius, given by equation 3 below

m v2 m v2
a= r= ( 3)
r a
Where a is the acceleration due to FB, m is the particles mass and r is the resultant radius.
Thus, we can easily see from equation (3) that the radius is proportional to mass and thus as
isotopes have elementary different masses they will experience a different radius, exploited
by AMS. This theory is shown below

Figure (i). http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/materials/StudyGuide/guide08.pdf [1]

Method
AMS us a technique used to accurately determine the presence 12C, 13C and 14C in materials,
which thus enables this technique for use in dating of that material. Firstly, the sample of the
material is placed in the AMS emitter, which consists of a charging station and a cathode. In
this the material is charged to 30kV (kilovolts), which hence causes the sample to emit
desirable ions including the aforementioned, and molecules of 12C1H, 12C1H and 12C2H.

Figure 1. The AMS emitter station. [5]

Due to their inherent charge, these ions and molecules are accelerated towards an accelerating
cathode which filters the emission into a beam as the charged particles that are equally
attracted in all directions by the cathode will be accelerated in their original direction whilst
others will be captured, creating a beam.

As the levels of 12C found in nature compared to 13C and 14C are relatively quite large, the ion
beam is passed through a recombinator where the abundant 12C is reduced to comparable
magnitudes to the two other carbon isotopes. This process occurs through the utilisation of
the fundamentally contrasting masses of each isotope, as they are centripetally accelerated as
seen in the figure below. As the beam undergoes an acceleration, the heavier 13C and 14C, and
present molecules have a larger radius than the 12C given by equation 2.

They are thence separated into their relative constituents and hence the 12C has certain
percentage of its corresponding beam blocked, only allowing a smaller amount of such to
pass through.

Figure 2. The recombinator, with accelerators shown in blue. [5]

At the end of this process the beam is recombined, hence the apparatus being labelled a
recombinator, with comparable ratios of each isotope now present. Thus, the beam is further
prepared for the analysis of its levels.

The beam is then passed through an argon (Ar) filled stripper located in accelerator. This
process occurs through the collisions with Ar atoms and thus the stripper tears away electrons
from the particles and disassociates the molecules of the 12C1H, 12C1H and 12C2H, allowing
for the removal of the elements in these combinations, thus allowing for results to be
unaffected by the initial emission of such.

The remaining beam which consists of only carbon isotopes 12C, 13C and 14C are subsequently
passed through an analysing magnet. This magnet utilises the inherent magnetic field created
by corresponding particles moving charge in the beam.

Figure 3. The final stage of the beam, where the beam is separated and analysed. [5]

Thus, alike the recombinator, the beam is separated into its constituents using their relative
radius as discussed in equation 1. However, ultimately these particles are not recombined but
filtered into three different analysis bins and thus their relative abundance is measured.

Results
There has been much research undertaken at ANSTO using this method, along with other
isotopic dating analysis with other elements and thus other emission energies as ANTARES
possesses a 2MV accelerator. This research includes the following list obtained from
ANSTOs government website:

Age and Origin of Ground Water

Radiocarbon and tritium analysis provide age-related information about the water from
sandstone aquifers in the Sydney Basin. This works in assisting water authorities to identify
groundwater sources that might be exploited sustainably.

From a paper by Meredith, K., Cendn, D.I., Pigois, J.-P., Hollins, S., Jacobsen, G. on 14C to
delineate a recharge window into the Perth Basin aquifers, groundwaters were found to have
highly depleted 18O and 2 H values relative to seawater, with averages decrease of 7.8
and 57.8 , respectively. The 13CTDIC values for groundwaters were also found to be
depleted relative to seawater, with values ranging from -10.6 (WCB17) to -17.8 (WCB09)
with an average value of -13.8 . Sample WCB09 had the most depleted 13CTDIC value
of -17.8 and this depletion is likely to be because the groundwater has been influenced by
organic matter degradation. Uncorrected 14C activities were found to range from 79.15
0.33 pMC (PB1) at Shay Gap to 0.32 0.04 pMC (WCB04) at the end of the flow path. [6f]

Regional and Global Climate Variability & Greenhouse Gas Sources and Contributions

Measurement of 14C and stable isotopes in southern hemisphere tree rings, cave structures and
corals provided researchers information on variations in atmospheric transport, ocean water
circulation and rainfall over the last 15,000 years.

Radiocarbon levels were measured in atmospheric greenhouse gases such as methane and
carbon dioxide to discern out the origin of these gases and their contribution is to global
warming.

Interactions between the ocean and atmosphere in the tropical Pacific region have a
significant impact on global heating and transportation of water vapour and thus play a key
role in the climate system. Variations in ocean surface temperatures and convection in the
tropical Indo-Pacific region are thought to be the cause of yearly to decadal climate
variability seen in extra-tropical regions but the role of the tropics in climate changes on
millennial and orbital timescales is less straightforward.

In AMS, analysis into oxygen isotopes and Magnesium/Calcium (Mg/Ca) ratios of

foraminiferal shells from the Makassar strait in the heart of the Indo-Pacific warm pool is
made, to obtain synchronous estimates of sea surface temperatures and ice volume. We find
that sea surface temperatures increased by 3.5 to 4.0C during the last two glacial/interglacial
transitions, synchronous with the global increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and
Antarctic warming, but the temperature increase occurred 2,0003,000 years before the
Northern Hemisphere ice sheets melted. Subsequent observations suggest that the tropical
Pacific region plays a significant part in driving glacial/interglacial cycles, possibly through a
system similar to how El Nio/Southern Oscillation regulates the poleward flux of heat and
water vapour. [3]

Ocean water circulation

ANSTO researchers used radiocarbon dating of coral samples collected in 1836 from the
Cocos (Keeling) Islands to gain valuable insights into the upward movement of deep ocean
waters in the north-western Indian Ocean.

Annual bands of a Porites coral from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, eastern Indian Ocean, were
analysed by radiocarbon for 19551985 AD. A rapid oceanic response of the site to bomb 14C
is found, with a maximum 14C percentage of 132% in 1975. This number is much greater than
that for the northwestern Indian Ocean, indicating that surface waters reaching Cocos are not
derived from the Arabian Sea. Instead, 14C values for Cocos and those for Watamu concur
over a significant portion of the study period, suggesting that the South Equatorial Current
carries 14C-elevated water rather than 14C-depleted water in a westerly direction across the
Indian Ocean. Thus, implying oceanic upwelling in the northwestern Indian Ocean is
spatially restricted with only a small contribution to the upper limb of the global thermohaline
circulation. [4]

Discussion
We can easily see from the variety of fields that accelerator mass spectrometry it utilised in,
that it is an extremely important and prominent field of research conducted by ANSTO. The
aging and origin locating of groundwater abilities of this procedure is vital in drought-prone
countries like Australia, as many large industries rely on this information to ensure that these
are run sustainably, for example the general country agriculture sector relies heavily on these
water basins to feed their livestock and crops. Secondly, as global warming becomes even
more an ever present issue, the use of accelerator mass spectrometry to date coral in the
Pacific Ocean is critical in identifying the movement of ocean water in key areas.
Furthermore, its contribution to atmospheric analysis of greenhouse gases ties into this area
and AMS can be utilised to track and assess the progress of the contributing factors involved
in global warming and can too recognise problematic areas and sources of such chemicals.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above mentioned, the analysis of minute percentages of atoms found in
small samples plays a significant and noteworthy role in many fields of research. This
research too displays a high level of importance in both the past and future, as the
radiocarbon dating of specimens can uncover information vital to the knowledge into the
history of a variety of areas such as water systems both basin and oceanic. Too, the analysis
of atmospheric constituents allows for the tracking of greenhouse gases and thus can play an
important role in minimisation of the processes involved in this contemporary issue.
Through the fundamental physical principles exploited by accelerator mass spectrometry in
ANSTOs ANTARES and STAR apparatuses, we are presented with a dynamic range of
study through which a variety of global issues can be studied and researched, showing the
power of not only the equipment possessed by the organisation, but too its crucial role in
providing information on essential matters.

Bibliography
[1] Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 617-253-1000
http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/materials/StudyGuide/guide08.pdf
[2] Hellborg, R. and Skog, G. (2008), Accelerator mass spectrometry. Mass Spectrom. Rev., 27: 398
427. doi:10.1002/mas.20172
[3] Magnitude and timing of temperature change in the Indo-Pacific warm pool during deglaciation
Katherine Visser1, Robert Thunell1 & Lowell Stott2 1. Department of Geological Sciences,
University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29205, USA 2. Department of Earth
Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA
[4] Hua, Q., Woodroffe, C. D., Smithers, S., Barbetti, M. and Fink, D. (2005). Radiocarbon in corals
from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and implications for Indian Ocean circulation. Geophysical
Research Letters, 32 (21), 1-4.
[5] ANSTO [ANSTOaccelerators]. [Accessed 21/10/2016]. ANSTO Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
(AMS). Uploaded 30/09/2009 retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xg2HCx6LAM
[6] Meredith, K., Cendn, D.I., Pigois, J.-P., Hollins, S., Jacobsen, G., Using 14C and 3H to delineate
a recharge window into the Perth Basin aquifers, North Gnangara groundwater system, Western
Australia, Science of The Total Environment, 414, 456-469 (2012).