Abstract
This chapter introduces the reader to mass spectrometry and the instruments used to determine high-precision isotope ratios. These instruments separate ion beams, of charged atomic particles with kinetic energies of several keV, by mass-to-charge ratio. Quantitative detection of these energetic charged particles is a key technology in mass spectrometry. For isotope ratio determination the main detector types are Faraday cups, the Daly detector, and discrete dynode secondary electron multiplier (SEM) ion counters. For high-precision applications, arrays of these detectors are arranged to collect several ion beams simultaneously. Examples are given for the application of these detectors in geology, environmental sciences, and nuclear safeguards.
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Lloyd, N.S., Schwieters, J., Horstwood, M.S.A., Parrish, R.R. (2012). Particle Detectors Used in Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry, with Applications in Geology, Environmental Science and Nuclear Forensics. In: Grupen, C., Buvat, I. (eds) Handbook of Particle Detection and Imaging. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13271-1_28
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13271-1_28
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