New Atom Accelerator to Date Human Bones

by Hans Mühlen 31 Dec 2013 Physics
Published in the "Nordic News" section of Nordita News issue 4, 2013

A new, highly advanced atom accelerator arrived in the beginning of December at the AMS 14C Dating Centre at Aarhus University, Denmark, replacing an old accelerator that broke down in 2010 in connection with renovations at the university. The primary task of the new atom accelerator will be to carry out accurate carbon-14 datings. For example, it only needs tiny samples in order to determine the exact age of ancient human bones, Iron Age spears, mammoth skeletons, Viking ships and a wide variety of other items.

The new technology can also be used on also be used to analyse samples to detect extremely rare isotopes from other substances. Determining the content of the Beryllium-10 isotope in ice core or sediment samples can, for instance, be used to chart the history of the Sun with a very high accuracy.

The new accelerator will be up and running within the next six months, as it takes some time to adjust and test the technology. [Read more...]