title: Counting individual 41Ca atoms with a magneto-optical trap.
abstract: Atom trap trace analysis, a novel method based upon laser trapping and cooling, is used to count individual atoms of 41Ca present in biomedical samples with isotopic abundance levels between 10(-8) and 10(-10). The method is calibrated against resonance ionization mass spectrometry, demonstrating good agreement between the two methods. The present system has a counting efficiency of 2x10(-7). Within 1 h of observation time, its 3-sigma detection limit on the isotopic abundance of 41Ca reaches 4.5x10(-10).
authors.affiliation: Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA. iain.moore@phys.jyu.fi
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Greene
authors.forename: Z-T
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Ch
authors.initials: Ch
authors.lastname: Geppert
authors.forename: K D A
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Wendt
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D002132:Calcium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005453:Fluorescence; D008280:Magnetics; D055095:Optics and Photonics
chemical_list: D002132:Calcium Radioisotopes