Accelerator mass spectrometry for radiocarbon dating

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) has been used routinely for radiocarbon measurements for several years. This thesis describes theoretical work to understand the reasons for low accuracy and range and offers practical solutions. The production and transport of the ions used in the measurements are found to be the most crucial stages in the process. The theories behind ion production by sputtering are discussed and applied to the specific case of carbon sputtered by caesium. Experimental evidence is also examined in relation to the theories. The phenomena of space charge and lens aberrations are discussed along with the interaction between ion beams and gas molecules in the vacuum. Computer programs for calculating phase space transformations are then described; these are designed to help investigations of the effects of space charge and aberrations on AMS measurements. Calculations using these programs are discussed in relation both to measured ion beam profiles in phase space and to the current dependent transmission of ions through the Oxford radiocarbon accelerator. Improvements have been made to this accelerator and these are discussed in the context of the calculations. C- ions are produced directly from carbon dioxide at the Middleton High Intensity Sputter Source. Experiments to evaluate the performance of such a source are described and detailed design criteria established. An ion source designed and built specifically for radiocarbon measurements using carbon dioxide is described. Experiments to evaluate its performance and investigate the underlying physical processes are discussed. (author)