Speaker
Description
The Moon provides a unique environment for investigating nearby astrophysical events such as supernovae. Lunar samples retain valuable information from these events, via detectable long-lived "fingerprint" radionuclides such as $^{60}$Fe. We are developing the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) method for detecting $^{60}$Fe using the HI-13 tandem accelerator at the China Institute of Atomic Energy. For our experiments, We have been allocated 200 mg of Chang'E-5 lunar soil samples by the China National Space Administration.
The identification of $^{60}$Fe with AMS is highly challenging due to strong isobaric interferences. Such interferences could not be sufficiently suppressed by the existing magnetic systems of the HI-13 tandem accelerator and the following Q3D magnetic spectrograph. To lower the detection background for the low abundance nuclide, a Wien filter was installed after the accelerator magnetic systems. A 1 μm thick ${\text{Si}_3\text{N}_4}$ foil was installed in front of the Q3D as an energy degrader. For particle detection, a multi-anode gas ionization chamber was mounted at the center of the focal plane of the spectrograph. An $^{60}$Fe standard sample with an abundance of $1.125 \times10^{-10}$ was used to test the new AMS system. These results indicate that $^{60}$Fe can be clearly distinguished from its isobar. In this presentation, we will report the current status of this experiment.
| Research field of your presentation | Experimental Low-energy nuclear physics |
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