The French accelerator mass spectrometry facility ASTER: Improved performance and developments

Following the installation and acceptance test of the French 5 MV AMS facility ASTER, the focus has been on improving the capability for routine measurements of 10Be and 26Al. Quality assurance has been established by the introduction of traceable AMS standards for each nuclide, by self-monitoring through participation in round-robin exercises and proficiency testing, and by surveillance of long- and short-time variability of blank and reference materials. A background level of 3 × 10−14 makes ASTER well-suited for measuring 41Ca/40Ca in the10−12 region, which is sufficient for a wide range of applications. Routine AMS measurements of volatile elements like 36Cl and 129I will most likely become feasible in the very near future as the result of significant improvements in the ion source design.