Quantitative analysis of tritiated water using cavity ring-down spectroscopy.

Area of Science:

• Spectroscopy
• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) is a highly sensitive technique for trace-gas detection.
• Quantitative tritium analysis using optical methods, particularly CRDS, is underdeveloped.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate mid-infrared CRDS for quantitative tritium analysis.
• To target the fundamental vibrational band of tritiated water (HTO) for enhanced sensitivity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized mid-infrared CRDS targeting the HTO fundamental vibrational band near 3.5 µm.
• Experimentally verified the proportional response of CRDS to tritium activity.

Main Results:

• Achieved substantially improved HTO detection sensitivity compared to previous optical methods.
• Demonstrated high linearity (R² > 0.99) and excellent repeatability for tritium activity measurements.
• Assessed practical detection limits considering sample introduction and utilization efficiency.

Conclusions:

• Established a scalable spectroscopic framework for quantitative tritium analysis using CRDS.
• The system enables quantitative measurements of microliter-scale samples.
• Offers potential for rapid tritium assessment in fusion and accelerator facilities and future ultra-high-sensitivity implementations.