COMPARATIVE ISOTOPIC MEASUREMENTS ON XENON AND KRYPTON

Highly accurate isotopic measurements of the noble gases krypton and x enon have been performed at the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements. Two mass spectrometers based on different physical princ iples (quadrupole, sector field) were used to perform comparative isot opic measurements on commercial xenon and krypton gases. The measureme nt processes are described in detail and subsequently the obtained iso tope ratios are compared with each other, focusing on the uncertaintie s achieved. Finally, the necessity and potential application of ultra- accurate measurements of the isotopic composition of noble gases to de tect their release from anthropogenic sources and the subsequent dilut ion in atmospheric noble gases are taken into consideration.