The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology | accelerator mass spectrometry
accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) [Te]. A method for detecting atoms of specific elements according to their atomic weights. There are a number of archaeological applications, the most common being in radiocarbon dating. Here, the addition of a series of magnetic lenses and a high-voltage ‘accelerator’ to a mass spectrometer allows 14C atoms to be detected in an ancient sample and the amount present determined in a matter of minutes. The technique provides an alternative to the conventional approach which relies on measuring the decay of 14C in a sample over a defined period (usually weeks or months). In addition to being relatively quick, AMS determinations can be made on far smaller samples of carbon (1 mg), allowing, for example, the dating of individual cereal grains. AMS is also used for determining 18O/16O ratios (see OXYGEN ISOTOPE ANALYSIS).
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