Accelerator mass spectrometer

The next stage in Carbon-14 Dating at The Australian National University has commenced. With the successful ARC LIEF grant in 2005 a state of the art single stage accelerator mass spectrometer from the National Electrostatics Corporation of Middleton, Wisconsin has been delivered, tested and accepted. This new stage in Carbon-14 Dating at the ANU follows on the heels of the very successful liquid scintillation counting laboratory for Carbon-14 Dating that was commissioned in 1965 and the AMS Carbon-1 4 dating in the 1990's. Collaborative projects ranging from archaeological dating, soil carbon studies, atmospheric CO2 content, ocean circulation and climate change are being undertaken. Recent instrumental advances will enable the measurement of very small samples using a CO2 gas capable ion source.