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Molecular break up process under low pressure conditions: characterization of a gaseous stripper for the implementation of a low energy AMS

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Author(s):
Marco Antonio Pannunzio Carmignotto
Total Authors: 1
Document type: Master's Dissertation
Press: São Paulo.
Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Física (IF/SBI)
Defense date:
Examining board members:
Nemitala Added; Francisco Tadeu Degasperi; Alain Andre Quivy
Advisor: Nemitala Added
Abstract

The present work aimed on studying the feasibility of adapting the Ion Implanter of University of Sao Paulo to the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry technique, taking into account the low energies employed by this type of particle accelerator. The AMS technique, largely applied to the Carbon-14 analysis for fossil dating, requires the breaking of molecules with mass 14 by some component in the accelerator, since these lead to interference on the Carbon-14 counting process. By employing energies on the level of keV in the accelerator, the study of the breaking process of the molecules for this energy was accomplished by means desiring, building and characterization of a gaseous stripper. In order to characterize the installed stripper, measurements were taken of the charge state exchange and molecular break up process as a function of the pressure of the gas injection into the stripper. The influence of the atom employed as gas was also investigated. The experiments were realized with the following different gases: Helium, Argon and Xenon. Some positive beams were produced on the implanter: Ar+, \\Ar(2+), CO+, CO2(+) and O2(+). The designed stripper was idealized to minimize the pressure variation on the inside of the implanter in order to preserve the conditions of the ion source. Pressure profiles of the gas inside the stripper were calculated according to the Vacuum Technology theory, which allowed estimating the quantity of gas inside the stripper. Studies on the pressure profile for different stripper geometries (open and closed conic forms) were also carried out to estimate the optimization of the stripper thickness as a function of the gas injection on its base. Based on the results, specifications for further work and changes on the current system were listed to make it possible to implement the AMS system. (AU)