SESSION III Present and Future Synchrotron Facilities for Radionuclide Studies

The vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)/soft X-ray region of the synchrotron radiation (SR) spectrum has revolutionised the approach to surface materials chemistry/physics. This spectral region has long been recognised for its potential to afford investigations of fundamental actinide science and to provide an improved analytical surface characterisation capabilities for actinide materials. Previously, the actinide science community was unable to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by VUV/soft X-ray SR methodologies because of radiological safety concerns and the need to prepare pristine actinide materials compatible with experiments in ultra-high vacuum end stations. With the advent of third-generation light sources operating in the VUV/soft X-ray region, such as the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at LBNL, experiments with small amounts of actinide materials are possible. Actinide investigations at the ALS are based on a graded approach to radioactive materials safety and are conducted with the assistance of LBNL Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) personnel during the experiments. LBNL EH&S personnel have many years of experience supporting experiments utilising radioactive materials at LBNL user-based accelerator facilities. The SR techniques and technologies used in this energy region have continued to mature, permitting more complicated investigations and enabling new spectroscopic approaches. Of particular importance for work with actinides is the development of the micro-spectroscopy and spectro-microscopy capabilities on several beamlines at the ALS. These capabilities allow the use of small amounts of actinide material. In addition, these techniques can provide information on the spatial distribution of actinide species that complements the spectral information. Early demonstrations of the ability to safely collect data from actinide micro-samples and the active support of the ALS for such experiments has led to the investigations of actinide materials on several different ALS beamlines. Results from current studies, pending scientific plans and future opportunities for the investigation of actinide materials at the ALS will be presented. The status and capabilities of the ALS Molecular Environmental Science (ALS-MES) Phase I Beamline, an important component for actinide research at the ALS in the near future, will also be discussed.