A laser ablation system for the analysis of radioactive samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

This work describes the design and function of an α-box integrated laser ablation system coupled to an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, designed and built at the hotlaboratory of the Paul Scherrer Institut, for the analysis of highly radioactive samples. A 266 nm Nd:YAG laser based ablation system was separated into beam generation and ablation and sample handling to avoid radiation induced defects of the hardware. The optical beam path is delivered through a window within the α-box. The focusing optics and the ablation cell suitable for handling highly radioactive samples are described in detail. The laser ablation system was coupled to a multi-collector ICP-MS and evaluated by applying various laser parameters to ablate uranium dioxide reference materials. Isotope ratios were measured with a precision of 0.3% and a spatial resolution down to 10 μm. The optimized parameters were applied to spent nuclear fuel samples.