Laser ablation absorption spectroscopy for isotopic analysis of plutonium; Spectroscopic properties and analytical performance

Miyabe, Masabumi   ; Oba, Masaki ; Jung, K.; Iimura, Hideki  ; Akaoka, Katsuaki ; Kato, Masaaki; Otobe, Haruyoshi  ; Khumaeni, A.*; Wakaida, Ikuo  

Spectroscopic properties of atomic species of plutonium were investigated by combining laser ablation and resonance absorption techniques for the analysis of a plutonium oxide sample. For 17 transitions of Pu atoms and ions, the absorbance, isotope shift, and hyperfine splitting were determined via Voigt profile fitting of the recorded absorption spectra. Three transitions were selected as candidates for analytical use. Using these transitions, we investigated the analytical performance that was attainable and determined a correlation coefficient R2 between the absorbance and plutonium concentration of 0.9999, a limit of detection of 30-130 ppm, and a relative standard deviation of approximately 6% for an abundance of Pu of 2.4%. These results demonstrate that laser ablation absorption spectroscopy is applicable to the remote isotopic analysis of highly radioactive nuclear fuels and waste materials containing multiple actinide elements.