Paper | Title | Page |
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WEPP17 | A Multi-Sample Changer Coupled to an ECR Source for AMS Experiments | 146 |
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Funding: This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. A project using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) at the ATLAS facility to measure neutron capture rates on a wide range of actinides in a reactor environment is underway. This project will require the measurement of a large number of samples previously irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory. The AMS technique at ATLAS is based on production of highly-charged positive ions in an electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) followed by acceleration in the ATLAS linac. The sample material is introduced into the plasma via laser ablation. This should limit the dependency of material feed rates upon the source material composition as well as minimize cross-talk between samples. A new multi-sample changer has been constructed allowing rapid changes between samples. The sample changer has 20 positions and is capable of moving from one sample to the next in one minute. Details of the sample changer design and operation will be presented. |
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FRXA03 | Laser Ablation of Actinides into an Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources for Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy | 190 |
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Funding: This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Physics, under contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. A project using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is underway at the ATLAS facility to measure the atom densities of transmutation products present in samples irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor at INL. These atom densities will be used to infer effective actinide neutron capture cross-sections ranging from Thorium to Califorium isotopes in different neutron spectra relevant to advanced fuel cycles. This project will require the measurement of many samples with high precision and accuracy. The AMS technique at ATLAS is based on production of highly-charged positive ions in an ECRIS followed by injection into a linear accelerator. We use a picosecond laser to ablate the actinide material into the ion source. We expect that the laser ablation technique will have higher efficiency and lower chamber contamination than sputtering or oven evaporation thus reducing 'cross talk' between samples. The results of off-line ablation tests and first results of an accelerate beam generated by the laser coupled to the ECR will be discussed as well as the overall project schedule. |
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Slides FRXA03 [11.825 MB] | |