chanelink logo
CHANELINK
Nederlands

Accurate measurement of neptunium ionization potential using new laser technology

650
2024-05-11 16:42:14
Bekijk vertaling

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

Gerelateerde aanbevelingen

  • Harvard University and University of Vienna invented tunable laser chips

    Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) have invented a new type of tunable semiconductor laser that shows smooth, reliable, wide-range wavelength tuning in a simple, chip-sized design.Tunable lasers are integral to many technologies, from high-speed telecommunications to medical diagnostics to safet...

    07-16
    Bekijk vertaling

  • Mei Xin Sheng: The development of high-precision polarized light crown products has been completed

    On September 5, when Mei Xin Sheng held an analyst meeting, it said that the company has launched a fully integrated ultra-low power optical proximity detection sensor and a three-in-one ambient light and proximity detection sensor with ultra-high sensitivity, which have entered mass production.The research and development of high-precision polarized light crown products has been completed, the fe...

    2023-09-05
    Bekijk vertaling

  • The 2023 International Quantum Photonics Conference attracted over 600 attendees from 16 countries and regions

    On November 25th, Jinhua welcomed the 2023 International Quantum Photon Conference, which will lead the future of technology. This grand event is jointly hosted by the Chinese Society of Optical Engineering and the Jinhua Municipal Government, with joint support from the University of Science and Technology of China, Zhejiang Normal University, and the PhotoniX journal. The conference, with the th...

    2023-11-27
    Bekijk vertaling

  • Researchers have successfully developed the world's first superconducting broadband photon detector

    Researchers at the National Institute of Information and Communication Technology in the United States have invented a new structure of a superconducting strip photon detector that can achieve efficient photon detection even in wide strips, and have successfully developed the world's first superconducting wide strip photon detector.The band width of the detector is more than 200 times that of trad...

    2023-11-02
    Bekijk vertaling

  • Advanced OPA enhances the energy of attosecond imaging ultra short pulses

    The attosecond level ultra short laser pulse provides a powerful method for detecting and imaging ultra short processes, such as the motion of electrons in atoms and molecules.Although ultra short laser pulses can be generated, generating ultra short and high-energy pulses is a continuous challenge. In order to expand the photon energy, photon flux, and continuous bandwidth of isolated attosecond ...

    2024-05-11
    Bekijk vertaling