Correlation between radon exhalation and radium content in granite samples used as construction material in Saudi Arabia

Measurements of radon exhalation for a total of 205 selected samples of construction materials used in Saudi Arabia were carried out using an active radon gas analyzer with an emanation container. It was found that granite samples were the main source of radon exhalation. The radon exhalation rates per unit area from these granite samples varied from below the minimum detection limit up to with an average of 1.5 . The radium contents of 27 granite samples were measured using an HPGe-based γ spectroscopy setup. The ²²⁶Ra content of the granites varied from below the minimum detection limit up to , with an average of . The linear correlation coefficient between exhaled radon and radium content was found to be 0.90.     

Beam energy measurement system at BEPC Ⅱ

The beam energy measurement system at BEPCII is composed of there parts: laser source and optics system,laser-electron interaction system and High Purity Germanium(HPGe)detector system.The special components and construction of each part are introduced,especially about radiation background mea-surement in the storage ring,which is of great importance for the safe commissioning of HPGe detector.     

Segmented HPGe detectors for the search of neutrinoless double beta-decay

Neutrinoless double beta-decay (0vbb-decay) is the most promising approach to distinguish between the possibilities of a Dirac or a Majorana nature of neutrinos. Additionally, a measurement of the half-life of 0vbb-decay can give information on the absolute mass scale of neutrinos. At the moment HPGe detectors yield the most sensitive limits on this Lepton-number violating process. The segmentation of HPGe detectors increases the experimental sensitivity by allowing the reconstruction of event topologies. The successful operation of prototype detectors submerged in cryoliquid demonstrates the viability of this experimental approach.     

高纯锗探测器的广泛应用和自主研制进展

以目前国际上极为活跃开展的暗物质探测、无中微子双 衰变研究为例,评述了高纯锗探测器的重要性及其广泛的应用前景。介绍了己开展的高纯锗单晶、探测器制备的关键技术研究进展:合作单位已研制出了用于高纯锗单晶材料制备的区熔炉、单晶炉;并制备出直径为20  50 cm、纯度为12N(< 41011  atoms/cm3)、位错< 5000 atoms/cm2 的锗单晶;掌握了高纯锗探测器(平面型、同轴型)制备的关键技术,用进口高纯锗单晶材料制备出的同轴型高纯锗探测器对射线的能量分辨率及探测效率均达到进口产品指标,使用自制的12N 高纯锗单晶材料己制备出平面型高纯锗探测器。呼吁加速高纯锗研制的自主创新步伐,尽早实现其国产化目标。The article reviews importance and wide applications of HPGe detector, especially the application on the dark matter search experiment and double beta decay experiment. The research progress on the Highpurity germanium single crystal and HPGe detector in China has been introduced. The cooperation partner developed new type zone-refining furnace and single crystal furnace. The ultra-purity germanium single crystal with 20~50 cm, purity up to 12N(net impurity concentration is less than 41011 atoms/cm3), and dislocation less than 5 000 /cm3 was prepared. The key technologies for preparing planar and coaxial HPGe detector were mastered. The coaxial detector, which has been made of imported ultra-purity germanium single crystal has excellent energy resolution and efficiency as the imported commercial detector. The planar detector using selfmade germanium single crystal was also successfully manufactured. The research group appeals for speeding up the pace of independent innovation on the high-purity germanium, and achieving the high-purity germanium localization as soon as possible.     

The radiation shielding offered by the commercial glass installed in Bangladeshi dwellings

One sign of a vibrant Bangladeshi economy has been the move away from the use of more traditional housing materials towards a preference for modern constructional media. Glass, one such example, used both decoratively and in a structural context, offers various advantageous properties and facets including a protective feature against radiation that has not previously been considered. Current interest examines the dosimetric possibilities offered by the commercial glass as a secondary shield and also in retrospective ionising radiation exposure analysis. Four popular brands of window glass are investigated, all available within the local market (PHP-Bangladesh, Usmania-Bangladesh, Nasir-Bangladesh and Rider-China), all with the same thickness and colour, varying in terms of elemental weight fractions as evaluated by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. As potential attenuators of transmitted radiation thereby forming secondary barriers against radiation exposure from penetrating radiations, the four brands of glass have been studied using photon energies from 59 up to 1332 keV, a range of values representative of that potentially encountered in incidents. Use has been made of a well-shielded high-purity germanium γ-ray spectrometer and associated electronics, providing for evaluation of the characteristic barrier parameters of half-value layer, radiation protection efficiency and effective atomic number (Z_eff). Of the four brands investigated, Rider provides superior secondary shielding performance. Concerning potential retrospective dosimetry the effective atomic number of the glass samples are comparable with that of the commercial thermoluminescence (TL) dosimeter TLD-200. At high doses, the TL yields are sufficient to provide for retrospective accident dosimetry.     

173Lu和174gLu衰变数据的测量

175Lu（n;2n）174m,gLu（n;2n）173Lu反应在高能中子通量监测中具有重要作用,其产物的放射性活度通常用HPGe探测器测量,这就需要174m,gLu和173Lu的半衰期和γ射线发射率等衰变数据必须准确无误。在主要的评价核数据库中,只有ENDF/B 7.1和JEFF 3.1.1数据库给出了173Lu和174Lu的半衰期和γ射线的发射几率等衰变数据,其中173Lu的射线发射几率ENDF/B 7.1库比JEFF 3.1.1库总体偏高,其他评价数据两个数据库非常一致。在中国原子能研究院的串列加速器上用20 MeV质子辐照金属Yb靶生产了含有173Lu,174m,gLu的放射性溶液,用激光共振电离质谱（LRIMS）和热表面电离质谱（TIMS）两种同位素稀释法测定了该溶液中173Lu和174m,gLu核素浓度,然后制备测量源在HPGe探测器上进行了近7年的跟踪测量,发现173Lu的半衰期为1.45 a,比目前评价的数据1.37 a高6.1%,636.1 keV射线发射几率的偏差最大,比ENDF/B 7.1的评价数据偏高7%。174gLu半衰期的测量结果3.37 a175Lu（n;2n）174m,gLu（n;2n）173Lu反应在高能中子通量监测中具有重要作用,其产物的放射性活度通常用HPGe探测器测量,这就需要174m,gLu和173Lu的半衰期和γ射线发射率等衰变数据必须准确无误。在主要的评价核数据库中,只有ENDF/B 7.1和JEFF 3.1.1数据库给出了173Lu和174Lu的半衰期和射线的发射几率等衰变数据,其中173Lu的射线发射几率ENDF/B 7.1库比JEFF 3.1.1库总体偏高,其他评价数据两个数据库非常一致。在中国原子能研究院的串列加速器上用20 MeV质子辐照金属Yb靶生产了含有173Lu,174m,gLu的放射性溶液,用激光共振电离质谱（LRIMS）和热表面电离质谱（TIMS）两种同位素稀释法测定了该溶液中173Lu和174m,gLu核素浓度,然后制备测量源在HPGe探测器上进行了近7年的跟踪测量,发现173Lu的半衰期为1.45 a,比目前评价的数据1.37 a高6.1%,636.1 keV γ射线发射几率的偏差最大,比ENDF/B 7.1的评价数据偏高7%。174gLu半衰期的测量结果3.37 a,比评价数据3.31 a高约1.8%,174gLu 76.5 keV和1 241.8 keV γ射线的发射几率比ENDF/B 7.1的评价数据分别低1.87%和12.8%。175Lu(n,2n)174m,gLu(n,2n)173Lu are important neutron reactions to monitor the high energy neutron fluxes and the residual nuclei, 174m,gLu and 173Lu, are usually measured by a HPGe spectrometer conveniently so that the decay data such as half lives and gamma-ray emission probabilities of 174m,gLu and 173Lu must be accurate. There are evaluated decay data only in ENDF/B 7.1 and JEFF 3.1.1 among the major evaluated nuclear data libraries, where the most data are almost same besides the gamma-ray emission probabilities of 173Lu are higher in ENDF/B 7.1 than that in JEFF 3.1.1. Yb metal as a target was irradiated by 20 MeV proton beams on a tandem accelerator in CIAE to produce 174m,gLu and 173Lu, and 176Lu isotopic dilution methods based upon a laser resonance ionization mass spectrometer (LRIMS) and a thermal surface ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS) were employed to determine the numbers of nuclides of 174Lu and 173Lu in a solution containing the irradiated target. Several radioactive sources made from the solution had been measured by a HPGe detector during the past 7 years and the peak intensities of the characteristic gamma-rays from 174gLu and 173Lu were analyzed to determine the half lives and gamma-ray emission probabilities. According to the measurements, the half life of 173Lu is 1.45 a, which is about 6.1% longer than the evaluated 1.37 a, and the gamma-ray emission probabilities of 173Lu is also different from the evaluated data, especially the emission probability of 636.1 keV gamma-ray of 173Lu is 7% higher than the value in ENDF/B 7.1. The half life of 174gLu is 3.37 a, about 1.8% longer than the evaluated 3.31 a, and the emission probabilities of 76.5 keV and 1 241.8 keV gamma-rays of 174Lu are 1.87% and 12.8% lower than the evaluated data in ENDF/B 7.1, respectively.     

Investigation of influential factors on the purification of zone‐refined germanium ingot

Zone refining is one of the most important procedures to purify germanium crystals for the fabrication of detectors in our laboratory. In order to properly zone refine high‐purity germanium crystals, it is important to develop perfect cleaning procedures for raw materials, quartz tubes, and the containers holding raw materials. Additionally, vacuum levels, container types, the correct combination of ambient gases, the speed of zone travel, and the ratio of ingot length to molten zone length, all need to be carefully studied in order to obtain the best results possible. In this work, we investigate a number of influential factors in perfecting high‐purity germanium crystal growth, specifically: cleaning procedures, boat composition, vacuum levels in the chamber, zone travel speed, and the ratio of ingot length to molten zone length. Using the van der Pauw Hall technique, we were able to measure the electrical properties of zone‐refined ingots and analyze the origin and distribution of three main impurity elements (boron, aluminum and phosphorus) thereby allowing us to study potential contamination sources. After detailed analysis on the various influential factors, we were able to optimize the zone‐refining procedures.     

A formula used to subtract the effect of gamma-ray of the others to that of measured reaction in measurement of cross section of nuclear reaction and its application

Abstract According to the regulation of growing and decay of artificial radioactive nuclide, a formula used to subtract the effect of characteristic γ-ray of the others to that of measured reaction was deduced. And then the cross sections of 120Te (n, 2n)119mTe reaction induced by neutrons around 14 MeV were measured by activation relative to the 93Nb (n, 2n)92mNb. In the process of the cross sections measured to be calculated, it was subtracted that the effect of characteristic γ-ray of 126Te (n, p)126Sb to that of measured 120Te (n, 2n)119mTe reaction using the formula deduced. The experimental results were (689±37) and (750±41) mb at the neutron energies of (13.5±0.3) and (14.6±0.3) MeV, respectively. Measurements were carried out by γ-detection using a coaxial HPGe detector. As samples, spectroscopically pure tellurium powder has been used. The fast neutrons were produced by the T(d, n)4He reaction. The neutron energies in these measurements were determined by the method of cross-section ratios between 90Zr (n, 2n) 89m+gZr and 93Nb (n, 2n) 92mNb reactions.     

Equivalent detector models for the simulation of efficiency response of an HPGe detector with PENELOPE code

ABSTRACT

In this work, some ‘equivalent’ models for the simulation of efficiency response of a High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector, installed inside a ‘low background’ bunker in the Engineering Department of the University of Palermo, were developed. The main feature was to attribute the uncertainties of the model to only one of the parameters, the dead layer of the detector, keeping unchanged the other data provided by the manufacturer. With this technique, using the Monte Carlo PENELOPE code in the 2011 version, the efficiency response was evaluated and compared with the previous one performed with MCNP5 code.

The validation of equivalent models is performed by comparing the simulation results with that of experimental spectrometric measurements of calibrated point sources and characterized volumetric sources such as a Marinelli beaker and an air filter reduced to a ‘packet-sample’.

The use of equivalent models makes the evaluation of efficiency curves with a Monte Carlo code easier and faster, and requires only a few experimental values for validation.     

Observation of high spin levels in131Cs from131Ba decay

The γ- and conversion electron spectra following¹³¹Ba ε-decay are investigated, using HPGe detector and mini-orange electron spectrometer. Attention is particularly focussed on identifying weak transitions associated with low energy high spin levels in¹³¹Cs level scheme earlier inferred in reaction studies but not yet observed in¹³¹Ba decay. Our experiment identifies 15 new gammas and 6 new conversion lines in this decay. Internal conversion coefficients and multipolarities of several transitions are determined. Five new levels (3 with I^π = 7/2⁺ and one each with I^π 9/2⁺ and 11/2⁻) are introduced in the¹³¹Cs level scheme based on our observations taken together with the results from reaction studies. Spin-parity assignments to a few other levels are also suggested