Accelerator mass spectrometry - accomplishments and challenges

Full text: AMS techniques and applications have advanced significantly since the first radiocarbon measurements in 1977. The list of nuclides in routine use includes 10Be, 14C, 26Al, 36Cl, 41Ca, and 129I. Cosmogenic radionuclides now have important applications in the study of earth surface processes and events. Recent biomedical studies include tracing aluminum as a toxic element and as an adjuvant in vaccines, radiocarbon as a tracer for tissue implants, and calcium loss from bones. Improvements in AMS performance for these and new nuclides result from automation, better ion sources, higher energies, and better isobar separation techniques