Accelerator mass spectrometer at AEL AMS laboratory

André E. Lalonde National Facility in Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS)

Overview

The André E. Lalonde Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory is Canada's national centre for environmental radioisotope analysis and research that addresses issues of national interest and economic impact in the earth and environmental sciences, nuclear energy and health sciences. The facility measures trace concentrations of radioisotopes and other rare elements that exist in the environment from natural sources and from human activities.

Research supported by Lalonde AMS is finding solutions to key Canadian environmental issues, from tracing radionuclides released by our nuclear activities and assessing burial sites in deep geological settings for nuclear waste disposal, to monitoring the remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated sites, and tracing the migration of shale gas into shallow groundwaters.

The André E. Lalonde Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory at dawn

The facility measures radiocarbon in lake sediments and soils to reconstruct environmental processes and past climates which provide the basis for predicting future trends and climate impacts in Canada. Lalonde AMS supports the Canadian archaeological community through dating of preserved artifacts from cultural sites to understand the migrations and technological developments of Canada’s First Nations. Researchers at Lalonde AMS are world leaders in developing new technologies and pushing the limits of AMS applications, generating new private-sector partners and industrial opportunities. The open access research environment engages students in hands-on training, building the next generation of Canadian innovators.

Learn more about AMS

19,555

analyses performed

28,122

hours of beam time

287

clients worldwide

Contact us

André E. Lalonde AMS Laboratory

Phone: (613) 562-5800 ext. 1183
Email: [email protected]

The AEL AMS Laboratory is a national research facility hosted at the University of Ottawa.