Advancing ³⁶Cl measurement capabilities: Performance limits of the 1 MV AMS system at Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA, Seville, Spain)
The detection limit for ³⁶Cl (T1/2 = 0.301 My) using mass spectrometry techniques is primarily constrained by the system’s ability to discriminate between ³⁶Cl and its stable isobar ³⁶S. Conventional accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) systems typically operating at terminal voltages of 3 MV and abo...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Sevilla (US) |
| Repositorio: | idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:idus________::9fb258dae9814322538fd3bcec2fd192 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/11441/186718 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2026.166182 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | AMS ³⁶Cl Nuclear waste Radiochemistry |
| Sumario: | The detection limit for ³⁶Cl (T1/2 = 0.301 My) using mass spectrometry techniques is primarily constrained by the system’s ability to discriminate between ³⁶Cl and its stable isobar ³⁶S. Conventional accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) systems typically operating at terminal voltages of 3 MV and above, achieve background levels for the isotopic ratio of ³⁶Cl/³⁵Cl on the order of 10⁻¹⁵ using techniques based on the stopping power difference. However, compact AMS systems are limited in their ability to discriminate heavy isobars due to their lower operating terminal voltages (i.e., 1 MV and below). Driven by the need to study ³⁶Cl in low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste (LILW), for which ³⁶Cl/³⁵Cl atom ratios on the order of 10⁻⁹ represent the detection limit of radiometric techniques, the performance of the 1 MV AMS system for the analysis of ³⁶Cl at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA, Seville, Spain) was investigated in this work. Two strategies were adopted: (i) optimisation of radiochemistry and control of the ³⁶S signal using ³³S as a proxy, and (ii) exploitation of the partial overlap between the ³⁶Cl and ³⁶S signals in a ΔE–Eres gas detector. These approaches yielded background levels of approximately 10⁻⁹ and 10⁻¹⁰, respectively. To enable these experiments, the stripping process of chlorine in helium gas at terminal voltages below 1 MV was investigated. Results from standard samples and blanks are presented in this paper. |
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