260062 VO Trace isotopes in environment and technology (2011W)

The goal of this lecture is to convey the basics of the "Isotope Language", i.e. the measurement of stable and radioactive isotopes with mass spectrometry. This allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomena in the seven major domains of our environment: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, cosmosphere, technosphere. In the first part of this lecture (winter semester) emphasis was put on the technical aspects of mass spectrometry. In the summer semester, a large range of applications will be covered, with particular focus on the possibilities of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). One of the main application of AMS is the ultra-sensitive detection of long-lived trace isotopes in nature, and is pursed at the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA) operated at the Faculty of Physics of the University of Vienna. Information on VERA can be found at Homepage: isotopenforschung.univie.ac.at