Challenging studies by accelerator mass spectrometry for the development of environmental radiology; Status report on the analysis of Sr and Cs by AMS

Honda, Maki; Martschini, M.*; Wieser, A.*; Marchhart, O.*; Lachner, J.*; Priller, A.*; Steier, P.*; Golser, R.*; Sakaguchi, Aya*

JAEA-Conf 2022-001, p.85 - 90, 2022/11

https://doi.org/10.11484/jaea-conf-2022-001

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is an analytical method that combines mass spectrometry with a tandem accelerator, which has been used mainly in nuclear physics experiments. AMS is used to measure radionuclides with half-lives of 10-10 years. For radionuclides with half-lives of this order, the method of measuring their mass is 10-10 times more sensitive than measuring their activity. Because of this advantage, AMS has been widely applied in Earth and planetary sciences, atomic energy research, and other fields. Among the various studies, Wallner et al. (2021, 2016) have achieved excellent work in Earth and planetary sciences. For example, they have attained the ultra-sensitive analysis of Fe and Pu in environmental samples. These are radionuclides produced by rapid-neutron-capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis. Our recent work shows that a new AMS system (VERA, University of Vienna), which combines laser isobaric separation and a typical AMS system, has been successfully applied to the ultra-sensitive determination of Sr and Cs in environment. For Sr in environmental samples, the -ray measurement by the milking of the daughter nuclide Y is still the principal method, which takes 3-6 weeks. The new AMS method has a detection limit of 0.1 mBq, which is comparable to that of -ray measurement, with a more straightforward chemical treatment than -measurement. Our achievement demonstrates that AMS can be a practical new method for determining Sr in the environment.

Developing accelerator mass spectrometry capabilities for anthropogenic radionuclide analysis to extend the set of oceanographic tracers

Hain, K.*; Martschini, M.*; Glce, F.*; Honda, Maki; Lachner, J.*; Kern, M.*; Pitters, J.*; Quinto, F.*; Sakaguchi, Aya*; Steier, P.*; et al.

Frontiers in Marine Science (Internet), 9, p.837515_1 - 837515_17, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.837515

Recent major advances in accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) at the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA) regarding detection efficiency and isobar suppression have opened possibilities for the analysis of additional long-lived radionuclides at ultra-low environmental concentrations. These radionuclides, including U, Cs, Tc and Sr, will become important for oceanographic tracer application due to their generally conservative behavior in ocean water. In particular, the isotope ratios U/U and Cs/Cs have proven to be powerful fingerprints for emission source identification as they are not affected by elemental fractionation. Improved detection efficiencies allowed us to analyze all major long-lived actinides, i.e. U, Np, Pu, Am as well as the very rare U, in the same 10 L water samples of an exemplary depth profile from the northwest Pacific Ocean. Especially for Sr analysis, our new approach has already been validated for selected reference materials (e.g. IAEA-A-12) and is ready for application in oceanographic studies. We estimate that a sample volume of only (1-3) L ocean water is sufficient for Sr as well as Cs analysis, respectively.

Quasifree neutron knockout reaction reveals a small -Orbital component in the Borromean nucleus B

Yang, Z. H.*; Kubota, Yuki*; Corsi, A.*; Yoshida, Kazuki; Sun, X.-X.*; Li, J. G.*; Kimura, Masaaki*; Michel, N.*; Ogata, Kazuyuki*; Yuan, C. X.*; et al.

Physical Review Letters, 126(8), p.082501_1 - 082501_8, 2021/02

AA2020-0819.pdf:1.29MB

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.082501

A quasifree (,) experiment was performed to study the structure of the Borromean nucleus B, which had long been considered to have a neutron halo. By analyzing the momentum distributions and exclusive cross sections, we obtained the spectroscopic factors for and orbitals, and a surprisingly small percentage of 9(2)% was determined for . Our finding of such a small component and the halo features reported in prior experiments can be explained by the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum, revealing a definite but not dominant neutron halo in B. The present work gives the smallest - or -orbital component among known nuclei exhibiting halo features and implies that the dominant occupation of or orbitals is not a prerequisite for the occurrence of a neutron halo.

Characterization of two types of cesium-bearing microparticles emitted from the Fukushima accident via multiple synchrotron radiation analyses

Miura, Hikaru*; Kuribara, Yuichi; Yamamoto, Masayoshi*; Sakaguchi, Aya*; Yamaguchi, Noriko*; Sekizawa, Oki*; Nitta, Kiyofumi*; Higaki, Shogo*; Tsumune, Daisuke*; Itai, Takaaki*; et al.

Scientific Reports (Internet), 10, p.11421_1 - 11421_9, 2020/07

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-68318-2

Repeatability and reproducibility of measurements of low dissolved radiocesium concentrations in freshwater using different pre-concentration methods

Kurihara, Momo*; Yasutaka, Tetsuo*; Aono, Tatsuo*; Ashikawa, Nobuo*; Ebina, Hiroyuki*; Iijima, Takeshi*; Ishimaru, Kei*; Kanai, Ramon*; Karube, Jinichi*; Konnai, Yae*; et al.

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 322(2), p.477 - 485, 2019/11

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-019-06696-2

We assessed the repeatability and reproducibility of methods for determining low dissolved radiocesium concentrations in freshwater in Fukushima. Twenty-one laboratories pre-concentrated three of 10 L samples by five different pre-concentration methods (prussian-blue-impregnated filter cartridges, coprecipitation with ammonium phosphomolybdate, evaporation, solid-phase extraction disks, and ion-exchange resin columns), and activity of radiocesium was measured. The z-scores for all of the Cs results were within 2, indicating that the methods were accurate. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) indicating the variability in the results from different laboratories were larger than the RSDs indicating the variability in the results from each separate laboratory.

Estimation of desorption ratios of radio/stable caesium from environmental samples (aerosols and soils) leached with seawater, diluted seawater and ultrapure water

Sakaguchi, Aya*; Chiga, Haruka*; Tanaka, Kazuya; Tsuruta, Haruo*; Takahashi, Yoshio*

Geochemical Journal, 52(2), p.187 - 199, 2018/00

https://doi.org/10.2343/geochemj.2.0496

An aerosol sample collected on the 15th of March 2011 at Kawasaki City (Kanagawa) was sequentially leached with seawater for 30 days. As a result, about 60% of the total Cs was extracted. In addition, a surface soil sample collected from Kawamata Town (Fukushima) two months after the Fukushima accident, was leached for 223 days with a natural seawater, a 1:1 mixture of ultrapure water and seawater, and ultrapure water. Eventually, more than 15% of the total Cs in the surface soil sample was efficiently desorbed by seawater leaching. In comparison, about 9% of the total Cs was leached with 1:1 diluted seawater and less than 1% of the total Cs was leached with ultrapure water over the 223 days. Overall, Cs and Cs showed similar leaching behaviour.

Comparison of solid-water partitions of radiocesium in river waters in Fukushima and Chernobyl Areas

Takahashi, Yoshio*; Fan, Q.*; Suga, Hiroki*; Tanaka, Kazuya; Sakaguchi, Aya*; Takeichi, Yasuo*; Ono, Kanta*; Mase, Kazuhiko*; Kato, Kenji*; Kanivets, V. V.*

Scientific Reports (Internet), 7(1), p.12407_1 - 12407_11, 2017/09

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-12391-7

We focused on factors controlling partition of radiocesium on particulate matters and sediments in rivers of Fukushima and Chernobyl. Radiocesium is more soluble in the Pripyat River (Chernobyl) due to weaker interaction of radiocesium with clay minerals caused by the inhibition effect of the adsorbed humic substances. In contrast, particulate matters and sediments in the Kuchibuto River (Fukushima) display high adsorption affinity with lesser inhibition effect of adsorbed humic substances. This difference is possibly governed by the geology and soil type of provenances surrounding both catchments.

Cumulative history recorded in the depth distribution of radiocesium in sediments deposited on a sandbar

Tanaka, Kazuya; Kondo, Hiroaki*; Sakaguchi, Aya*; Takahashi, Yoshio*

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 150, p.213 - 219, 2015/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.08.022

We collected sediments deposited on a sandbar from the surface to 20 cm in depth in the Abukuma River to clarify the history of radiocesium derived from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. We analyzed the Cs concentration in the sediments from size-fractioned samples as well as bulk samples. The results of this study demonstrated that sediment layers deposited on a sandbar retained the cumulative history of the fluvial transport of radiocesium after the FDNPP accident.

Iodine-129 measurements in soil samples from Dolon village near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site

Endo, Satoru*; Tomita, Jumpei*; Tanaka, Kenichi*; Yamamoto, Masayoshi*; Fukutani, Satoshi*; Imanaka, Tetsuji*; Sakaguchi, Aya*; Amano, Hikaru; Kawamura, Hidehisa*; Kawamura, Hisao*; et al.

Radiation and Environmental Biophysics, 47(3), p.359 - 365, 2008/07

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-008-0162-3

Dolon village located about 60 km from the border of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site is known to be heavily contaminated by the first USSR atomic bomb test in August 1949. Soil samples around Dolon were taken in October 2005 in an attempt to evaluate internal thyroid dose arising from incorporation of radioiodine isotopes (mainly I). Iodine-129 in soil was measured by using the technique of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. From the relationship between I and Cs (corrected for background and decay from 1949 to 2005) accumulated levels, the background level of I and the I/Cs ratio around Dolon were estimated to be (6.4 0.4) 10 atoms m and 0.25 0.16, respectively. This I/Cs ratio is almost similar to the fission yield ratio for Pu fast fission (0.24).

Transportation of radiocesium through rivers in Fukushima

Taniguchi, Keisuke*; Yoshimura, Kazuya; Smith, H.*; Blake, W.*; Takahashi, Yoshio*; Sakaguchi, Aya*; Yamamoto, Masayoshi*; Onda, Yuichi*

no journal, , 

no abstracts in English