Research Progress in AMS Measurement of Pu Isotopes

Actinides transuranic element Pu, mainly comes from artificial nuclear activities and now widely found in nature, has an important research and application value in multiple basic research and application fields. In this paper, the main measurement methods of Pu and their advantages and disadvantages were compared and analyzed. Among all measurement methods of Pu, the AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometer) method has the advantages of small sample size, short measurement time, ability to distinguish ²³⁹Pu from ²⁴⁰Pu, and the low detection limit. It is technically the most suitable method for the measurement of ultra-trace Pu. Laboratories in Australia, Austria, Switzerland, and other countries including China (CIAE, China Institute of Atomic Energy), have established different Pu measurement methods based on their AMS systems, which were introduced and summarized in this paper. The detection limit of the Pu measurement method established by CIAE based on the 350 kV AMS system reaches 1×10⁶ atoms.