Application of ATONA Amplifiers to the Measurement of Uranium Isotopic Ratios by Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Reinhard, Andrew A.; Inglis, Jeremy D.; Singleton, Michael J.; Kara, Azim H.; Steiner, Robert E.; LaMont, Stephen P.

doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00471

Title: Application of ATONA Amplifiers to the Measurement of Uranium Isotopic Ratios by Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Journal Article · 29 April 2024 · Analytical Chemistry

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00471 · OSTI ID:2391098

^[1]; Inglis, Jeremy D. ^[1]; Singleton, Michael J. ^[2]; Kara, Azim H. ^[1]; Steiner, Robert E. ^[1]; LaMont, Stephen P. ^[1]

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Uranium isotopic composition can provide valuable information about the history and provenance of a nuclear material; therefore, uranium isotopic analyses are frequently made in the nuclear forensics, safeguards, and environmental monitoring communities. These measurements have always presented challenges due to the extreme variability in the relative abundance between the major (²³⁵U, ²³⁸U) and minor (²³³U, ²³⁴U, ²³⁶U) isotopes of uranium. Here, the recently developed ATONA (Atto- to Nano-Amp) amplification system paired with Faraday cup detectors has a large dynamic range and low noise floor making it ideal for measuring uranium isotopic ratios in materials of both natural and anthropogenic origin. A wide variety of certified reference materials were analyzed to investigate the utility of the ATONA amplification system for determining uranium isotopic composition in samples ranging from depleted to highly enriched. The ATONA amplifiers provide nearly an order of magnitude improvement in external reproducibility over 10¹¹ Ω amplifiers when measuring the minor ²³⁴U/²³⁸U ratio in isotopically natural and depleted samples and when paired with a secondary electron multiplier can measure very low relative abundance uranium isotopes (i.e., ²³⁶U).

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344; 89233218CNA000001

OSTI ID:: 2391098

Report Number(s):: LLNL--JRNL-858118; 1087915

Journal Information:: Analytical Chemistry, Journal Name: Analytical Chemistry Journal Issue: 19 Vol. 96; ISSN 0003-2700

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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