Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5497973 | Applied Radiation and Isotopes | 2017 | 17 Pages |
Abstract
A radiation detection system consisting of two cerium doped lanthanum bromide (LaBr3:Ce) scintillation detectors in a gamma-gamma coincidence configuration has been used to demonstrate the advantages that coincident detection provides relative to a single detector, and the advantages that LaBr3:Ce detectors provide relative to high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors. Signal to noise ratios of select photopeak pairs for these detectors have been compared to high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors in both single and coincident detector configurations in order to quantify the performance of each detector configuration. The efficiency and energy resolution of LaBr3:Ce detectors have been determined and compared to HPGe detectors. Coincident gamma-ray pairs from the radionuclides 152Eu and 133Ba have been identified in a sample that is dominated by 137Cs. Gamma-gamma coincidence successfully reduced the Compton continuum from the large 137Cs peak, revealed several coincident gamma energies characteristic of these nuclides, and improved the signal-to-noise ratio relative to single detector measurements. LaBr3:Ce detectors performed at count rates multiple times higher than can be achieved with HPGe detectors. The standard background spectrum consisting of peaks associated with transitions within the LaBr3:Ce crystal has also been significantly reduced. It is shown that LaBr3:Ce detectors have the unique capability to perform gamma-gamma coincidence measurements in very high count rate scenarios, which can potentially benefit nuclear safeguards in situ measurements of spent nuclear fuel.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Physics and Astronomy
Radiation
Authors
A. Drescher, M. Yoho, S. Landsberger, M. Durbin, S. Biegalski, D. Meier, J. Schwantes,