Radiocarbon Dating Using Electrostatic Accelerators: Negative Ions Provide the Key

Abstract

Mass spectrometric methods have long been suggested as ways of measuring (14)C/(12)C ratios for carbon dating. One problem has been to distinguish between (14)N and (14)C. With negative ions and a tandem electrostatic accelerator, the (14)N background is virtually absent and fewer than three (14)C atoms in 10(16) atoms of (12)C have been easily measured.