Abstract
Multi-step resonance ionization spectroscopy of thorium has been performed with Ti:Sapphire lasers and a hot-cavity laser ion source. Resonance ionization schemes involving three-color, three-photon ionization processes are evaluated and a new three-photon scheme is demonstrated with measured overall ionization efficiency of 38.6(5)%. This high efficiency makes it possible to determine the thorium impurities in materials used for ultra-low background neutrino detectors and could also benefit ultra-trace thorium analysis using resonance ionization mass spectrometry for various radiochemical tracer applications.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 95-101 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms |
| Volume | 462 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2020 |
Funding
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy , Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics and this research used resources of the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which was a DOE Office of Science User Facility.
Keywords
- Ionization efficiency
- Mass spectrometry
- Resonance ionization
- Thorium
- Ti:Sapphire laser