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Radiocarbon Dating Archaeologic and Environmental Samples Containing 10 to 120 Milligrams of Carbon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

John C Sheppard ,
J Fred Hopper  and
Yvonne Welter
John C Sheppard
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering Washington State University Pullman, Washington 99164
J Fred Hopper
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering Washington State University Pullman, Washington 99164
Yvonne Welter
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering Washington State University Pullman, Washington 99164
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A conventional 14C system with either a 15cm3 or a 100cm3 methane gas proportional counting tube, each constructed from high purity copper, has been used at the Washington State University 14C laboratory for three years (Sheppard, Hopper, Westberg, 1981). The electronic components of this system included highly stable (John Fluke) power supplies, modified pre-amplifiers (Canberra), and NIM amplifiers, single channel analyzers, scalers, timers, etc, (ORTEC). Modules were selected for a highly stable low-noise system. The system was designed to minimize problems generated by ground-loops, electromagnetic noise pick-up, and line noise. It operates in a copper-lined basement room of a four-story brick and concrete building along with a second and older gas proportional system which has three 500cm3 copper counting tubes operated at 2 or 3 atmospheres of methane. Analysis of the older system's background data indicates that the background counting rate of 0.8 counts per minute is virtually independent of atmospheric pressure. It has not been possible to determine the pressure dependence of the small counting tubes.

Type
V. General Aspects of 14C Technique
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 25 , Issue 2: 11th International Radiocarbon Conference , 1983 , pp. 493 - 500
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

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