Towards micro-samples radiocarbon dating at INFN-LABEC, Florence

In radiocarbon applied research, both in Cultural Heritage and environmental contexts, minimising the invasiveness of the analysis is of fundamental importance. For this reason, at INFN-LABEC in Florence, the CHNet_Lilliput experiment aimed at reducing the graphite sample masses down to a few tens of μg of carbon, while the typical masses collected at the end of our “standard” preparation process are about 700 μg. Here we discuss the necessary hardware upgrades done on the experimental set-up and the results of the first tests with samples of about 50 μg. Reproducibility of radiocarbon concentrations in NIST Oxalic Acid II samples was satisfying, as well as the comparison of concentrations measured in standard reference materials with their certified values. Background resulted to be slightly worse than the typical one measured for larger samples, as somehow expected, even though some improvements are looked-for thanks to a more careful handling of samples.