Genoud G, Vainio M, Phillips H, Dean J, Merimaa M
Opt Lett. 2015 Apr 1;40(7):1342-5. doi: 10.1364/OL.40.001342.
Monitoring of radiocarbon (C14) in carbon dioxide is demonstrated using mid-infrared spectroscopy and a quantum cascade laser. The measurement is based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy, and a high sensitivity is achieved with a simple setup. The instrument was tested using a standardized sample containing elevated levels of radiocarbon. Radiocarbon dioxide could be detected from samples with an isotopic ratio C14/C as low as 50 parts-per-trillion, corresponding to an activity of 5 kBq/m(3) in pure CO(2), or 2 Bq/m(3) in air after extraction of the CO(2) from an air sample. The instrument is simple, compact, and robust, making it the ideal tool for on-site measurements. It is aimed for monitoring radioactive gaseous emissions in a nuclear power environment, during the operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants. Its high sensitivity also makes it the ideal tool for the detection of leaks in radioactive waste repositories.
利用中红外光谱和量子级联激光器展示了对二氧化碳中放射性碳（C14）的监测。该测量基于光腔衰荡光谱，通过简单的设置实现了高灵敏度。使用含有升高水平放射性碳的标准化样品对该仪器进行了测试。从同位素比C14/C低至50万亿分之一的样品中可以检测到放射性二氧化碳，这相当于在纯CO(2)中活性为5 kBq/m(3)，或者从空气样品中提取CO(2)后在空气中活性为2 Bq/m(3)。该仪器简单、紧凑且坚固，使其成为现场测量的理想工具。其目标是在核电站运行和退役期间监测核电环境中的放射性气体排放。其高灵敏度也使其成为检测放射性废物储存库泄漏的理想工具。
