chanelink logo
CHANELINK
Français

Accurate measurement of neptunium ionization potential using new laser technology

169
2024-05-11 16:42:14
Voir la traduction

Neptunium is the main radioactive component of nuclear waste, with a complex atomic structure that can be explored through mass spectrometry. This analysis is crucial for understanding its inherent characteristics and determining the isotopic composition of neptunium waste. Magdalena Kaja and her team from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany have developed a novel laser spectroscopy technique that can more accurately measure the ionization potential of neptunium compared to previous methods.

Neptunium is an actinide metal in the periodic table adjacent to uranium, with an atomic number of 93. The inspiration for its name comes from Neptune, located outside of Uranus in the solar system, which is a recognition of its position. Among the 25 known isotopes, most have extremely short lifetimes. However, the most stable isotope, neptunium 237 (237 Np), has a half-life of over 2 million years, making it a particularly dangerous nuclear pollutant.

The neptunium isotope samples available for this type of analysis are very small: they typically only contain a few atoms of the isotope.


Magdalena Kaja and her colleagues utilized a cutting-edge device that includes solid-state titanium: sapphire laser systems, enhanced laser ion sources, and high transmittance mass separators. This advanced equipment has played an important role in their research on neptunium.

The research team used this technique to measure the first ionization energy of neptunium, which is the energy required to remove the first electron from the outermost electron shell to form a positive ion. They accurately determined the value to be 6.265608 (19) eV. This measurement is not only consistent with the values previously reported in scientific literature, but also achieves an accuracy level more than ten times higher than any previous measurement.

This method can also be applied to the analysis and detection of trace amounts of neptunium in radioactive waste.

Source: Laser Net

Recommandations associées

  • The "white" laser device from startup Superlight Photonics will completely transform imaging

    Superlight Photonics, a start-up company headquartered in Enshurd, has developed a broadband laser chip that can replace the bulky and power consuming technology currently used in advanced imaging and metering equipment.This idea suddenly appeared in his mind, while moving his other belongings from Germany to his new home in Enschede. During his doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute of Mul...

    2023-10-28
    Voir la traduction

  • Scientists use the light inside fibers as thin as hair to calculate

    Scientists from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland have discovered a powerful new method for programming optical circuits, which is crucial for the delivery of future technologies such as unbreakable communication networks and ultrafast quantum computers."Light can carry a large amount of information, and optical circuits that use light instead of electricity are seen as the next majo...

    2024-01-20
    Voir la traduction

  • Vector Photonics accelerates the commercialization of PCSEL laser technology

    Recently, Vector Photonics, a well-known surface coupled laser technology supplier in the UK, announced that the company has received £ 3 million in financing (including £ 1.667 million in equity investment and £ 1.27 million in additional research funding, equivalent to approximately RMB 27.63 million) to help commercialize its surface coupled laser technology.(Image source: Vector Photonics)Vect...

    2024-07-04
    Voir la traduction

  • Progress has been made in the corrosion mechanism of alkali aluminum phosphate glass at Shanghai Optics and Machinery Institute

    Recently, the Advanced Laser and Optoelectronic Functional Materials Department of the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made new progress in the corrosion mechanism of alkali aluminophosphate glass. The research findings were published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C under the title "Formation Mechanism of Crystal Phase during Corrosion ...

    2024-07-10
    Voir la traduction

  • Researchers have manufactured chip based optical resonators that can operate in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible light regions of the spectrum

    Figure: Researchers have created a chip based ring resonator that operates in the ultraviolet and visible light ranges and exhibits record low UV loss. The resonator (small circle in the middle) is displayed as blue light.Researchers have created chip based photonic resonators that can operate in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible regions of the spectrum and exhibit record low UV loss. The ne...

    2023-10-06
    Voir la traduction