Free Lecture: Unlocking the world’s great historical mysteries
From Martian meteorites to the Shroud of Turin, one well established analytical technique is allowing scientists to unravel the mysteries of some of the world’s rarest historical artefacts and unique materials.
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is an ultra-sensitive method which is used to analyse isotopes in materials and has been practised since 1978. This technique utilises the slow decay of carbon-14 – a radioactive isotope that is found in many materials and lifeforms including humans and is commonly used to date archaeological items. AMS can be applied across several fields of research like climate change studies, archaeology, biomedicine and planetary sciences.
One of the most eminent scientists in the area of AMS is Professor (Emeritus) Martin Suter from the Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zürich, Switzerland. He will visit ANSTO on 12 April to speak about the evolution of AMS as part of ANSTO’s Distinguished Lecture Series.
Since the beginning of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry in 1978, Professor Suter and his team have made several scientific discoveries which has led to many more scientists across the globe adopting this innovative research technique. His research in the fundamental understanding of atomic interactions and ion-beam physics at low energies has resulted in the design and construction of custom-built AMS instruments of significantly less complexity, size and cost. This has seen the opening of new applications of AMS in nuclear safeguards, climate change, archaeology and earth sciences.
ANSTO is also using AMS techniques to date items such as archaeological samples and ancient air trapped in Antarctic ice.
More information
For more information on Professor Suter’s lecture please contact: Martin Kelly (02) 9717 3890