Radionuclide detection for astrophysics, environmental studies and nuclear safeguards

A. ARAZI, ; D. ABRIOLA, ; O. CAPURRO, ; M.A. CARDONA, ; E. DE BARBARÁ,; J. DE JESÚS ; J. FERNÁNDEZ NIELLO, ; F. GOLLAN, ; D. HOJMAN, ; G. MARTÍ, ; A. PACHECO, ; D. RODRIGUES; N. SAMSOLO, ; C. BALPARDO, ; T. FAESTERMANN,; L. FIMIANI, ; M. GÓMEZ GUZMÁN, ,; K. HAIN; G. KORSCHINEK, ; P. LUDWIG, ; A. NEGRI, ; D. MARTÍNEZ HEIMANN, ; K. FIFIELD, ; M. FRÖHLICH, ; S. PAVETICH, ; S. TIMS, ; A. WALLNER, ; R. VILLAREAL.

Maresias

Workshop; XLI Brazilian Meeting on Nuclear Physics; 2018

Sociedade Brasileira de Fisica

Cosmogenic and anthropogenic radionuclides are excellent tracers for several phenomena in natural sciences. While short-lived radionuclides are e®ectively detected by gamma counting, long-lived ones require the use of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). In this presentation, we will report on di®erent applications such as: a) AMS measurements, performed at the Australian National University, of 129I (T1=2 = 16 Ma), a fission product which is an effective tracer for hydrological and atmospheric systems, b) AMS measurements, performed at the Technical University of Munich, of 53Mn (T1=2 = 3.7 Ma) in a 1400 kg sample of Antarctic snow. This radionuclide is produced by cosmic rays on interplanetary dust particles and its detection can assess the deposition of these particles on Earth, c) AMS measurements, performed at the TANDAR Accelerator, of 10Be (T1=2 = 1.4 Ma) in oceanic sediments, for tracing its recycling in volcano ashes produced by the subduction of the Nazca tectonic plate, d) Gamma counting of 7Be (T1=2 = 53 d) collected by a net of air filters along South America, which traces its production by cosmic rays and its atmospheric transport mechanisms, e) AMS detection of 236U (T1=2 = 23 Ma), a radionuclide of interest for nuclear safeguards, at a new time-of-flight line built at the TANDAR Accelerator.