Development of cesium detection system using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

This report presents a new cesium sensing method that uses laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Conventionally, beta rays and germanium semiconductor detectors have been used for Cs-137 analysis. These methods typically require laboratory-scale analytical facilities. On the other hand, LIBS allows for direct elemental composition measurement of samples regardless of their physical state without preprocessing or laboratory facilities. Even if it is nearly impossible to separate isotopic data from the spectrum of an LIBS measurement, measurement of cesium levels is important for investigating the causes of abnormal radiation levels because the abundance of cesium is low under normal conditions. We report on cesium spectra results as measured by LIBS; the measurements were of sufficient resolution to obtain quantitative information for calculating the expected quantity of radioactive cesium from the isotope ratios.