Performance optimization of a deep-sea scintillation gamma detector

Processes attendant to the propagation of gammas in the sea water, in the wall of an immersed detector, and in a scintillator are simulated by the Monte Carlo method. The Compton spectra recorded by a deep-sea scintillation detector are simulated as a function of the wall thickness for two design versions of the detector. From the photoabsorption peak, the properties of wall materials, V-95 and steel 40, are compared. The background spectra of gammas generated in the scintillator are calculated. It is shown that a reasonable increase in the dimensions of the detector (without increasing those of the scintillator) improves the gamma detection efficiency.