A stilbene - CdZnTe based radioxenon detection system

Enabling Isotope Ratio Measurements on an Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer

“…The noble gas xenon consists of nine stable isotopes ( 124 Xe, 126 Xe, 128 Xe, 129 Xe, 130 Xe, 131 Xe, 132 Xe, 134 Xe, and 136 Xe) and numerous radiogenic isotopes that rapidly decay. The formation of many of the xenon isotopes are well understood and can be utilized to gain greater insight into defense − and planetary science applications. − For example, radiogenic xenon isotopes can be monitored throughout the atmosphere by utilizing gamma spectroscopy to determine if any nuclear testing or detonations have been performed. − Stable isotopes of xenon, however, are used for more fundamental studies related to planetary sciences such as atmospheric evolution, , the origin of meteorites, , and chronology. , Measurements of stable isotopes are typically performed using specialized instrumentation for isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), with the results conveyed using the per-mille deviation equation: where M designates the isotope mass of interest, R M is the sample isotope ratio composition ( M Xe/ 130 Xe), and R ref is a reference isotope ratio composition. Using reference data for the isotopic distribution of xenon from different sources such as solar wind xenon (SW1–Xe), primordial fission product xenon (U–Xe, red), average carbonaceous chondrites xenon (AVCC–Xe, blue), and primordial quintessence xenon (Xe–Q, magenta), as seen in Figure , isotopic abundance variations can be relatively small.…”