The AMS Instruments
NOSAMS CFAMS System
Accelerator mass spectrometry, or AMS, is a method of radiocarbon analysis where atoms of 14C contained in a sample are directly counted. The main NOSAMS AMS system was commissioned in 2006, and modified in 2024. It utilizes a modified National Electrostatics Corporation MC-SNICS ion source, a bounced injection system, and a National Electrostatics Corporation 500 kV pelletron accelerator.
Plan view of the AMS system:
NOSAMS MIni CArbon DAting System (MICADAS)
In April of 2022, NOSAMS installed a new AMS system, called the MICADAS (MIni CArbon DAting System) made by Ionplus AG, Switzerland. In addition to being able to measure graphite samples, the MICADAS has a hybrid gas ion source interfaced to various peripherals including an Elemental Analyzer (EA) for organic samples, a Carbonate Handling System (CHS) for carbonate samples, and a tube cracking system for CO2 samples.
