Detection of99Tc by accelerator mass spectrometry: Preliminary investigations

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is an established technique for the detection of long-lived radionuclides at environmental levels. At LLNL, planned facility upgrades and advances in detection techniques are allowing us to explore the applicability of AMS to isotopes not previously pursued. One such isotope is⁹⁹Tc. We have performed a number of preliminary tests to examine the technical feasibility of AMS for the detection of⁹⁹Tc. The questions addressed were negative ion production in the cesium sputter source, transport efficiency for the ions through the spectrometer, and detection efficiency for⁹⁹Tc ions after the spectrometer. Based on the positive results of these tests, we have begun to develo measurement protocol.