PIGE: A Useful Technique for the Study of Innovative Energy Related Materials. Technical Note on the Measurement of Gamma-ray Production Cross Sections

Particle induced gamma-rays are used more and more in materials quantitative characterization with ion beams, being absolutely competitive to other techniques, when low Z elements are involved and when dynamic processes are produced and monitored. Energy production involves such kind of materials, whose composition needs to be known and controlled under diverse and sometimes extreme conditions. This paper reviews some technical aspects associated with the knowledge of production cross sections, which is fundamental to any quantitative analysis, and the use of gamma detectors like their absolute efficiency.