Application of the new Monte Carlo code AlfaMC to the calibration of alpha-particle sources

• Authors: Miguel Jurado Vargas , Alfonso Fernández Timón , Carlos García Orellana
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Measurements of α-particle sources require corrections to the counting rate due to scattering and self-absorption in the source and the backing material. In this study, we describe a simple procedure to estimate these corrections using the new Monte Carlo code AlfaMC to consider the effects of scattering and self-absorption conjointly, and so to determine the activity of α emitters. The procedure proposed was applied to 235UO2 sources deposited on highly polished platinum backings. In general, the dependence of the efficiency with source thickness was in good agreement with a simple model considering a linear and a hyperbolic behavior for thin and thick sources, respectively, although significant deviations from this model were found for very thin sources. For these very thin sources, the Monte Carlo simulation revealed to be as a required method in the primary calibration of α-particle sources. The efficiency results obtained by simulation with AlfaMC were in agreement with available efficiency data.

Keywords

EN

alpha-particle spectrometry · code AlfaMC · Monte Carlo simulation · scattering and self-absorption

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Nukleonika
• Year: 2015
• Volume: 60
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 651-655

Dates

published

1 - 9 - 2015

accepted

20 - 5 - 2015

received

24 - 9 - 2014

online

25 - 9 - 2015

Contributors

author

Miguel Jurado Vargas

• Departamento de Física, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. de Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone]

author

Alfonso Fernández Timón

• Departamento de Informática y Estadística, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, c/Tulipán s/n, 28933, Móstoles-Madrid, Spain

author

Carlos García Orellana

• Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y Automática, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. de Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/nuka-2015-0113