VERA, an AMS facility for "all" isotopes

P. Steier, R. Golser, W. Kutschera, A. Priller, C. Vockenhuber, S. Winkler.
Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator, Institut für Isotopenforschung und Kernphysik, Universität Wien, Währinger Str. 17, A-1090 Vienna, Austria

VERA, the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator, was equipped from the start in 1996 with magnets strong enough to bend any isotope of the nuclear chart. However considerable improvements were necessary to accommodate an AMS analysis of isotopes above mass 150, leading to an almost complete rebuild of the high energy analyzer. After the analyzer magnet, a new high-resolution electrostatic analyzer (ESA) was installed. First measurements of ¹⁸²Hf, ²³⁶U, and ²⁴⁴Pu were successfully performed. The higher background suppression has brought along a significant improvement for ²⁶Al measurements, where a background of ²⁶Al/²⁷Al of ~6× 10^-16 is reached.

Keywords: AMS; ²³⁶U; ²⁴⁴Pu; ¹⁸²Hf;