Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory Core Support for Archaeometry

在美国，亚利桑那大学开创了 串联加速器质谱仪（TAMS）放射性碳测年。 这项技术对考古学家和其他 科学家们，因为它允许非常小的样本， 测定了 朗博士的实验室负责准备 用于TAMS和常规β计数的样本 机械. 在三年的支持下， 实验室将继续自己的研究，并提供 为用户社区服务。 它将追求一系列 专门的研究项目。 该实验室开发了 提取和纯化有机成分的技术 骨头 这些样品已被证明能给出可靠的TAMS年代。 这种对骨骼工作的关注将继续下去。 重点还将 对北美的早期栽培种进行年代测定， 史前农业的发展 断代在考古学研究中至关重要， TAMS技术提供了一个重大突破， 放宽样本量要求。 许多新的问题可能是 由于亚利桑那州的问题，许多问题得到了解决， 工作 在这个过程中，很明显，一个主要的问题是， 在于样品制备;日期不能比 将样品放入机器中。 朗博士的实验室 并继续在这一领域取得重大进展。 这个项目很重要，因为它提供了一个基本的， 这不仅是对考古学家的必要服务， 科学家在广泛的学科工作。

Within the United States, the University of Arizona has pioneered Tandem Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (TAMS) radiocarbon dating. This technique is important to archaeologists and other scientists because it permits extremely small samples to be measured. Dr. Long's laboratory is responsible for preparing samples for both the TAMS and conventional beta counting machines. With an additional three years of support, this laboratory will both continue its own research and provide a service function to the user community. It will pursue a series of specialized research projects. The laboratory has developed techniques for extracting and purifying organic components from bone. Such samples have been shown to give reliable TAMS dates. This focus on bone work will continue. Emphasis will also be placed on dating early cultigens from North America to elucidate the prehistoric development of agriculture. Dating is crucial in archaeological research, and the development of TAMS technique has provided a major breakthrough because of relaxed sample size requirements. Many new questions could be addressed and many have been answered because of the Arizona work. In the process it has become clear that a major problem lies in sample preparation; dates can be no better than the samples placed in the machine. Dr. Long's laboratory has made and continues to make major strides in this area. This project is important because it provides a basic and necessary service not only to archaeologists but also to scientists working in a wide range of disciplines.