The 10th Asia-Oceania Mass Spectrometry Conference (AOMSC2025) - organized by the Mass Spectrometry Society of Japan

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Oral Sessions

Day 3, June 24(Tue.) 15:45-16:00

Room B (Maesato Center)

  • 3B-O3-1545
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Accelerator Mass Spectrometry: Enabling Measurements of Ultra-Trace Radionuclides for Applications in Earth and Space Sciences

(NPAA / RSPhys / CoSM / ANU)
oMichaela Froehlich

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), an advanced analytical technique designed to precisely identify and quantify rare atomic species at an individual level, has vastly evolved over the last decades offering profound scientific insights. For example, the Human impact on our planet has reached a level at which it is believed that we have entered a new geological age – the Anthropocene or Human Age – and rare fallout isotopes of plutonium are leading candidates to mark this new era.
On the other hand, the detection of trace amounts of extraterrestrial plutonium, which originated in star explosions (supernovae), provides valuable data for studying nucleosynthesis - the process responsible for the formation of atomic nuclei. A major quest in modern physics is the search for dark matter. AMS, with its ultra-low detection limit and sensitivity, enables the characterisation and measurement of background radiation coming from natural radioactivity and remaining cosmic rays which may interfere with potential dark matter detection.
On another note, the increase in nuclear related activities in Australia and world-wide will lead to associated radioactivity monitoring and assessment tasks and one of the major challenges will be baseline studies and environmental monitoring.
This talk will explore recent AMS achievements and future developments, emphasising their pivotal applications in Earth and Space Sciences.