Resonant laser ionization mass spectrometry: An alternative to AMS?

Resonant laser ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS) has developed into a versatile experimental method particularly concerning applications for highly selective ultratrace analysis. Apart from providing nearly complete isobaric suppression and high overall efficiency, the possibility for combining optical isotopic selectivity with that of the mass spectrometer leads to remarkable specifications. The widespread analytical potential and applicability of different techniques based on resonant laser ionization is demonstrated in investigations on stable and radioactive ultratrace isotopes with the focus on applications which require high selectivity, concerning, e.g., the noble gas isotopes Kr-81,Kr-85, PU isotopes, Sr-89,Sr-90, Tc-99 and Ca-41. Selective ultratrace determination of these radioisotopes provides access to a variety of fundamental research problems in environmental sciences, geo- and cosmochemistry, archaeology and biomedicine, which previously were often an exclusive domain for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.