A Multi-Counter System for High Precision Carbon-14 Measurements

1 January 1980

journal article
research article
Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Radiocarbon

Vol. 22 (2) , 442-447
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033822200009747

Abstract

A new ¹⁴C detector system containing nine, independently working, CO₂ proportional counters is described. The system is designed for a sufficient measuring capacity at a precision level better than σ = ± 2‰, which requires a counting time of about one week per sample. The size of the installation requires a simple and economic design of counters and electronics. A single anticoincidence shield for all counters consists of five newly developed flat counters. The modern counting rate (52cpm) is sensitively checked by running Heidelberg sodium carbonate standard samples wth a counting rate of about 10 times modern. A microcomputer (DEC PDP-11 /03) is used for data acquisition. Recent developments in laboratory techniques (preparation and gaschromatographic purification of samples) are also reported.

Keywords

This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:

Natural Radiocarbon Variations from AD 200 to 800
Radiocarbon, 1980
On the ¹⁴C to Tritium Relationship in the North Atlantic Ocean
Radiocarbon, 1980