Speaker
Description
The Radiocarbon Laboratory of the Fluminense Federal University (LAC-UFF) has been pivotal in radiocarbon dating by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry and its applications in Latin America since its inception in 2009 (Anjos et al. 2013; Macario et al. 2013; 2015). Over the past 15 years, LAC-UFF has engaged in diverse research activities and collaborations. These have spanned cultural and natural heritage conservation, paleo vegetation and paleo sea level reconstructions, the determination of renewable fractions for biofuel certification, biopolymers, pharmaceuticals derived from natural and synthetic materials, and forensic science.
The sample preparation laboratory has expanded significantly, incorporating new vacuum systems and analyzing a wide variety of sample materials, such as otoliths, stromatolites, vermetids, bones, and pottery (Oliveira et al. 2021). Installed in 2012, the NEC 250 kV single-stage AMS system (SSAMS) at LAC-UFF has been instrumental in measuring the 14C content of thousands of graphite samples, both reference materials and unknowns. Significant improvements in the system and in measurement and analysis protocols have been made over the years to enhance the precision and accuracy of results (Linares et al. 2015; Castro et al. 2015). For instance, in 2019, the stripper gas was switched from argon to helium, enhancing the system transmission and consequently improving statistics of measurements, positively impacting results (Carvalho et al. submitted).
Throughout its operation, LAC-UFF has continuously refined its protocols and methodologies for 14C AMS determination, aiming to maintain best practices in radiocarbon dating. The laboratory is dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge, preserving cultural heritage, supporting forensic investigations, and contributing to sustainable development practices in Brazil and beyond.
References
Anjos, R. M., et al. "Towards a complete 14C AMS facility at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (Niterói, Brazil): sample preparation laboratory tests." Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 294 (2013): 173-175.
Carvalho, C. et al. (submitted to Radiocarbon) “LAC-UFF SSAMS System Status Report after 12 years”
Castro, M. D. et al. "New software for AMS data analysis developed at IF-UFF Brazil." Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 361 (2015): 526-530.
Linares, R. et al. "Radiocarbon measurements at LAC-UFF: Recent performance." Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 361 (2015): 341-345.
Macario, K. D. et al. "The Brazilian AMS Radiocarbon Laboratory (LAC-UFF) and the intercomparison of results with CENA and UGAMS." Radiocarbon 55.2 (2013): 325-330.
Macario, K. D., et al. "Advances in the graphitization protocol at the Radiocarbon Laboratory of the Universidade Federal Fluminense (LAC-UFF) in Brazil." Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 361 (2015): 402-405.
Oliveira, F., et al. "LAC-UFF status report: current protocols and recent developments." Radiocarbon 63.4 (2021): 1233-1245.
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