Centre for Accelerator Science

Impact

ANSTO has operated accelerators since 1964. The Centre for Accelerator Science is a world-leading centre for ion beam analysis and accelerator mass spectrometry. The Centre is recognised internationally for the excellence of its operations and expertise of its staff. It attracts national and international users from academia, publicly-funded research agencies, industry and government.

Both in-house scientists and external users access a suite of tools for investigations that cross a range of disciplines. The Centre provides key infrastructure for supporting International Atomic Energy Agency activities and provides training across a broad range of disciplines and technologies.

How it works

An animation illustrates the SIRIUS tandem accelerator

Applications

The Centre for Accelerator Science provides users with access to a suite of tools in one location that can be used for isotopic dating, air pollution studies, climate science, the modification and characterisation of materials, radiation damage studies, forensic science, nuclear detector characterisation and microbiological and life sciences studies.

The Centre provides key infrastructure for supporting International Atomic Energy Agency activities and provides training across a broad range of disciplines and technologies.

Enabled by

0-10MV

The voltage energy range of accelerators

11

Ion sources on accelerators

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Beamlines on accelerators

Capabilities

Ion beam analysis

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, quantitative data on the sample's constituent elements and their spatial distributions can be readily obtained.

Accelerator mass spectrometry

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry is an ultra-sensitive analytical technique based on the use of an ion accelerator as a powerful mass spectrometer. The element of interest is chemically separated from the original material and loaded as a target in the ion source of the tandem accelerator. The ion beam produced from it is accelerated and isotopically analysed. Selected isotopes are identified and counted individually with ion detectors.

Aerosol Sampling Program

ANSTO plays a leading role in measuring and characterising fine particles from a range of locations around Australia and internationally.

Landscape reconstruction using cosmogenic isotope dating

The application of cosomogenic radionuclides in the Earth sciences has provided the essential geochronological timing of continental and polar glacial history over the past few millions years, and revolutionised our understanding of the processes controlling landscape evolution on spatial scales of metres to kilometres.

Radiocarbon dating

Radiocarbon dating is a well-known method for determining the age of materials up to the age of approximately 50,000 years.

MABI Multi-wavelength absorption black carbon instrument

The Multi-wavelength absorption black carbon instrument MABI can determine the concentration and source of black carbon pollution.

Accelerators

1MV Vega Accelerator

The 1MV Vega Accelerator has the capability to perform high efficiency, high precision carbon-14 and actinide mass spectrometry

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2MV Star Accelerator

The 2MV Star tandem accelerator performs both ion beam analysis and accelerator mass spectrometry measurements

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6MV Sirius Accelerator

The 6MV Sirius accelerator has wide range of ion beam analysis, accelerator mass spectrometry and ion irradiation facilities

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10MV Antares Accelerator

The 10MV tandem accelerator Antares has source, beamline and end station facilities applicable to both ion beam analysis and accelerator mass spectrometry research. Antares is capable of producing and accelerating virtually any naturally occurring isotope to energies up to 100MeV and intensities up to microamperes, depending on the ion species.

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