High Voltage Engineering Europa (HVE) has designed a vacuum-insulated tandem accelerator dedicated to radiocarbon (14C) analysis. A unique feature of the design is a magnetic charge state selector that is incorporated in the high voltage terminal, which reduces the primary source of background that originates from the injection of 13CH− to negligible levels. As a result, background levels in the low 10−16 regimes are anticipated, thus supporting the most stringent 14C dating applications. Another feature of the system is the incorporation of several slit feedback loops for stabilization of the position of the ion beam throughout the system, which avoids drift and ensures stable, long-term operation. Finally, this article presents measurements and quantitative analysis of background contributions from 13CH−.
