AMS
AMS
Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is considered the most precise and fastest way for radiocarbon measurements at natural levels or below. The AMS system at the National Laboratory for Age Determination was built by High Voltage Engineering in the Netherlands and installed in Trondheim in 2009. The system is used for all radiocarbon measurements in our laboratory and also for measurements of other isotopes such as 10Be.
The model 4110Bo AMS system has 1 MV Tandedron accelerator and a high energy mass-spectrometer consisting of a sector field magnet and an electrostatic analyser. The particle detection happens in a two-anode gas ionization chamber that allows particle identification using a 2-dimensional energy spectrum. Off-axis Faraday cups allow for the normalization of the measurement to precisely determine the isotopic ratios of the samples. The ion beam is injected into the accelerator by a magnet equipped with a fast beam-switching system, allowing quasi-simultaneous measurement of different isotopes.
A SO110b ion source produces a negative ion beam by bombarding the target material with Cs+ ions. The source is coupled to a 50-position target carousel which can be used for automated measurement and unattended operation.