Laser separation of rare isotopes in industrial-scale quantities

The series of investigations into laser isotope separation by the atomic vapor laser isotope separation (AVLIS) method, carried out at the Institute of General Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Scientific-Production Firm LAD in the last 4–5 years, is discussed. Basic physical problems solved in the development of facilities capable of producting high-enrichment¹⁶⁸Yb on an industrial scale are pointed out. Some units of the facility are briefly described, on which the following¹⁶⁸Yb concentrations are achieved: 90–95% in plasma, up to 62% on the collector, and up to 45% in wastes. The production rate of enriched ytterbium reaches 5–10 mg/h (more than a gram per month). Institute of General Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 8, pp. 82–87, August, 1999.