Ultrasensitive isotope trace analyses with a magneto-optical trap
Laser manipulation of neutral atoms has been used to count individual krypton-85 and krypton-81 atoms present in a natural krypton gas sample with isotopic abundances in the range of 10(-11) and 10(-13), respectively. This method of isotope trace analysis is free of contamination from other isotopes and elements and can be applied to several different isotope tracers for a wide range of applications. The demonstrated detection efficiency is 1 x 10(-7). System improvements could increase the efficiency by many orders of magnitude.
Chen
CY
Physics Division, and Chemistry Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439, USA.
Li
YM
Bailey
K
O'Connor
TP
Young
L
Lu
Z