Determination of isotopic concentrations

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF ISOTOPIC CONCENTRATION IN A MIXTURE OF TWO ISOTOPES OF AN ELEMENT COMPRISING: (A) AN ABOSORPTION TUBE CONTAINING AN EXTERNALLY COOLED TUBULAR CATHODE, SAID CATHODE HAVING AT LEAST AN INNER SURFACE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A REFERENCE ISOTOPE OF SAID ELEMENT; (B) MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING A HOLLOW-CATHODE DISCHARGE WITHIN SAID ABSORPTION TUBE USING IONS OF A HEAVY RARE GAS, SAID IONS BEING CAPABLE OF SPUTTERING A CLOUD OF GROUND STATE ATOMS OF THE REFERENCE ISOTOPE FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR CATHODE; (C) A PAIR OF SPECTRUM EMISSION SOURCES ONE OF WHICH IS A REFERENCE EMITTER AND THE OTHER A SAMPLE EMITTER, THE SAMPLE HAVING AN UNDEFINED MIXTURE OF SAID TWO ISOTOPES, AND SAID REFERENCE EMITTER HAVING A KNOWN COMPOSITION, SAID COMPOSITION BEING ESSENTIALLY OF THE SAME REFERENCE ISOTOPE AS THAT USED IN THE INNER SURFACE OF THE TUBULAR CATHODE, SAID SOURCES EACH EMITTING AN INTENSITY OF PHOTONS FROM EACH ISOTOPE LINEARLY DEPENDENT ON THE PROPORTION OF ISOTOPE PRESENT; (D) MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY DIRECTING PHOTONS FROM SAID REFERENCE EMITTER AND SAID SAMPLE EMITTER THROUGH THE AXIS OF SAID TUBULAR CATHODE WHEREIN THE GROUND STATE ATOMS OF THE REFERENCE ISOTOPE ABSORB RESONANT PHOTONS EMITTED BY THE REFERENCE ISOTPE IN SAID SOURCES WHEN SAID TUBULAR CATHODE IS OPERATING; (E) SORTER MEANS FOR ISOLATING A SINGLE SPECTRAL LINE CHARACTERISTIC OF SAID ELEMENT, SAID MEANS POSITIONED TO RECEIVE PHOTONS TRANSMITTED FROM SAID EMISSION SOURCES THROUGH SAID TUBULAR CATHODE; (F) MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SOURCES AND SAID ABSORPTION TUBE OF MODULATING THE FLOW OF PHOTONS BEING TRANSMITTED; AND (G) SENSOR MEANS FOR RELATING THE INTENSITIES OF SAID SPECTRAL LINE TO ISOTOPE CONCENTRATION, SAID MEANS BEING SENSITIVE ONLY TO THE MODULATED FLOW OF PHOTONS.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF ISOTOPIC CONCENTRATION IN A MIXTURE OF TWO ISOTOPES OF AN ELEMENT COMPRISING: (A) AN ABOSORPTION TUBE CONTAINING AN EXTERNALLY COOLED TUBULAR CATHODE, SAID CATHODE HAVING AT LEAST AN INNER SURFACE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A REFERENCE ISOTOPE OF SAID ELEMENT; (B) MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING A HOLLOW-CATHODE DISCHARGE WITHIN SAID ABSORPTION TUBE USING IONS OF A HEAVY RARE GAS, SAID IONS BEING CAPABLE OF SPUTTERING A CLOUD OF GROUND STATE ATOMS OF THE REFERENCE ISOTOPE FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR CATHODE; (C) A PAIR OF SPECTRUM EMISSION SOURCES ONE OF WHICH IS A REFERENCE EMITTER AND THE OTHER A SAMPLE EMITTER, THE SAMPLE HAVING AN UNDEFINED MIXTURE OF SAID TWO ISOTOPES, AND SAID REFERENCE EMITTER HAVING A KNOWN COMPOSITION, SAID COMPOSITION BEING ESSENTIALLY OF THE SAME REFERENCE ISOTOPE AS THAT USED IN THE INNER SURFACE OF THE TUBULAR CATHODE, SAID SOURCES EACH EMITTING AN INTENSITY OF PHOTONS FROM EACH ISOTOPE LINEARLY DEPENDENT ON THE PROPORTION OF ISOTOPE PRESENT; (D) MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY DIRECTING PHOTONS FROM SAID REFERENCE EMITTER AND SAID SAMPLE EMITTER THROUGH THE AXIS OF SAID TUBULAR CATHODE WHEREIN THE GROUND STATE ATOMS OF THE REFERENCE ISOTOPE ABSORB RESONANT PHOTONS EMITTED BY THE REFERENCE ISOTPE IN SAID SOURCES WHEN SAID TUBULAR CATHODE IS OPERATING; (E) SORTER MEANS FOR ISOLATING A SINGLE SPECTRAL LINE CHARACTERISTIC OF SAID ELEMENT, SAID MEANS POSITIONED TO RECEIVE PHOTONS TRANSMITTED FROM SAID EMISSION SOURCES THROUGH SAID TUBULAR CATHODE; (F) MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SOURCES AND SAID ABSORPTION TUBE OF MODULATING THE FLOW OF PHOTONS BEING TRANSMITTED; AND (G) SENSOR MEANS FOR RELATING THE INTENSITIES OF SAID SPECTRAL LINE TO ISOTOPE CONCENTRATION, SAID MEANS BEING SENSITIVE ONLY TO THE MODULATED FLOW OF PHOTONS.