Uranium emission spectra with a low power microwave plasma source Original Research Article

This work presents the first report of uranium spectra generated by a low power microwave plasma source to conduct emission measurements. Distinct uranium peaks in the wavelength range examined from 320 to 430 nm have been successfully obtained with a 200 W plasma utilizing low gas flow rates. The influence of temperature on the uranium behavior in the plasma source is discussed, and the intensity of the spectral lines obtained with this low power source is systematically compared with the results reported in literature, in which high power plasma sources were employed. Concentration effects are studied and the calibration curves are made for some strong spectral lines. The detection limits of uranium are also estimated to be at the 0.4 ppm level, with linear dynamic range at least two and half orders of magnitude. This research establishes a method to effectively generate uranium atoms and ions at a low power and low gas flow rate, which should be useful for uranium fundamental characteristic studies and on-site uranium monitoring work.