Practical Gamma-ray Spectrometry

Gordon Gilmore, PhD, worked at the Universities Research Reactor (owned by Manchester and Liverpool Universities and now decommissioned) using gamma spectrometry, originally as an adjunct to chemical analysis, at a time when detectors and instrumentation were being developed from their relatively primitive beginnings to their modern sophisticated forms. That 25 years of experience, along with the late John Hemingway, led to the publication of the first edition of this work, with the intention of sharing a deep understanding of gamma spectrometry with the expanding population of gamma spectrometrists within universities and many establishments where radioactivity is used or studied. After his retirement from the University, as a director of Nuclear Training Services Ltd., he was called upon to lecture, develop methods and advise on setting up gamma spectrometry facilities. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Liverpool. David Joss, PhD, is Professor of Physics at the University of Liverpool, UK, where he teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in nuclear physics. His research focuses on understanding the structure of the atomic nucleus using gamma-ray spectroscopy with large spectrometer arrays. He has published over 200 research articles from his research. He is a Fellow in the Institute of Physics and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Preface to the Third Edition xix

Preface to the Second Edition xxi

Preface to the First Edition xxiii

Internet Resources Within the Book xxv

About the Website xxvii

1 Radioactive Decay and the Origin of Gamma and X-Radiation 1

2 Interactions of Gamma Radiation with Matter 33

3 Semiconductor Detectors for Gamma-Ray Spectrometry 52

4 Electronics for Gamma-Ray Spectrometry 79

5 Statistics of Counting 128

6 Resolution: Origins and Control 167

7 Spectrometer Calibration 182

8 True Coincidence Summing 214

9 Computer Analysis of Gamma-Ray Spectra 236

10 Scintillation Spectrometry 265

11 Low Count-Rate Systems 286

12 High Count-Rate Systems 321

13 Ensuring Quality in Gamma-Ray Spectrometry 341

14 Gamma Spectrometry of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) 364

15 Applications 382

16 Choosing and Setting Up a Detector, and Checking Its Specifications 410

17 Troubleshooting 434

Appendix A Sources of Information 449

Appendix B Gamma- and X-Ray Standards for Detector Calibration 455

Appendix C X-Rays Routinely Found in Gamma Spectra 465

Appendix D Gamma-Ray Energies in the Detector Background and the Environment 467

Appendix E Chemical Names, Symbols and Relative Atomic Masses of the Elements 471

Glossary 479

Index 497