Waehringer Str. 17, Wien, PO: 1090 (Austria)

Single-sited

Austria

The Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA) is a state-of-the-art facility for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) based on a 3 MV tandem accelerator. Established in 1996 by the University of Vienna, it was upgraded for heavy ions in 2001; in 2007 a second injector was installed. VERA makes it possible to measure radioisotopes all across the nuclear chart, e.g. 10Be, 14C, 26Al, 36Cl, 41Ca, 129I, 182Hf, 236U, 239-244Pu and even superheavy elements. Research projects focus on the exploration of our world by means of the "isotope language", utilizing both natural and anthropogenic long-lived radioisotopes. We pursue fundamental physics experiments and a large variety of interdisciplinary research programs. The applications touch almost every issue of our environment at large, from archaeology to climate research. Special emphasis is put on AMS applications within physics, i.e. Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, and Atomic and Molecular Physics. One focus of our technical developments is pushing the limits of the AMS method, e.g. of accuracy, reliability, and sample size for the most important AMS isotope 14C. Further emphasis is on the detection of the heaviest radioisotopes (236U, 244Pu). VERA's sensitivity for 236U/238U of better than 10–14 is a world record.

AMS, Accelerator mass spectrometry

Analytical Facilities

Earth and Environmental Sciences
Physics, Astronomy, Astrophysics and Mathematics

Physical Sciences and Engineering