Accelerators and instruments

Klaus Wilcken and Mike Hotchkis — The modern control room for operation of the Sirius, Vega and Star accelerators

The Centre for Accelerator Science operates four ion accelerators with an energy range from 0- 10MV. The four accelerators, Antares, Sirius, Vega and Star have a total of 11 ion sources and 13 beamlines.

These instruments provide complementary capabilities to Synchrotron-based and the neutron-based research using ion beam analysis and accelerator mass spectrometry.

Approximately 200 users access these instruments a year through a merit based system, in addition to support for ANSTO research projects and initiatives, such as the Aerosol Sampling program, groundwater dating, and space radiation studies.

10MV ANTARES Accelerator

The 10MV tandem accelerator ANTARES is a state-of-the-art facility for ion beam analysis and accelerator mass spectrometry.

6MV Sirius Accelerator

The 6MV tandem accelerator, named SIRIUS, is instrumented with a wide range of AMS, IBA and ion irradiation facilities. The three ion sources include hydrogen and helium sources, and a MC-SNICS sputter source for solid materials.

2MV STAR Tandem Accelerator

The 2MV STAR tandem accelerator, performs both IBA and AMS analyses

1MV VEGA Accelerator

The 1MV accelerator system, named VEGA, is designed with the capability to perform high efficiency, high precision 14C and actinide mass spectrometry.

Ion beam analysis techniques

When an energetic ion beam hits a sample it will interact with the atoms through a number of very complex interactions. By detecting and measuring the reaction products resulting from the various interactions and their intensities, you can obtain quantitative data on the sample's constituent elements and their spatial distribution.