Assessment of the excitation temperatures and Mg II:I line ratios of the direct current (DC) arc source for the analysis of radioactive materials

The direct current (DC) arc plasma has been assessed with an emphasis on excitation temperature (T_exe) and ionization/excitation efficiency by monitoring magnesium ionic:atomic ratios (Mg II:I). The primary goal is to improve the analytical performance of the DC arc instrumentation such that more sensitive and reproducible measurements can be achieved when analyzing trace impurities in nuclear materials. Due to the variety of sample types requiring DC arc analysis, an understanding of the plasma's characteristics will significantly benefit the experimental design when moving forward with LANL's capabilities for trace metal analysis of plutonium metals. (author)