Speaker
Description
In 2022, the tandem accelerator laboratory of the Centre for Nuclear and Accelerator Technologies (CENTA) of the Comenius University in Bratislava was upgraded with a new accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) beam line. A combination of a fast-bouncing system, high-resolution magnet, together with offset Faraday cups, two electrostatic analyzers and a multi-layer ionization chamber enable to sensitively and precisely detect isotopic ratios for several long-lived radionuclides, e.g., 10Be, 14C, 26Al, 129I, 232Th, and 238U. Some of the mentioned species can be utilized as tracers for studying different environmental processes or are important targets for radiopurity material analyses which are essential for background evaluation of underground experiments searching for rare nuclear decays and dark matter. We shall present our recent AMS measurements of 14C in hydrocarbons in the atmosphere for better understanding of its gaseous constituents, in atmospheric carbonaceous aerosols for the determination of fossil-fuel and biomass fractions, in spot sampled atmospheric carbon dioxide for the assessment of the local source impact and of 129I in precipitation for the evaluation of the influence of regional (continental) nuclear facilities. On top of that, we shall talk about developments in ultra-low 232Th and 238U concentration measurements by AMS which has potential to become the most sensitive technique for radiopurity material screening.