Validation of semi-empirical calibrations of two HPGe-detectors

Authors:

  • Sofia Jonsson
  • Henrik Ramebäck

Publish date: 2018-04-27

Report number: FOI-R--4574--SE

Pages: 21

Written in: Swedish

Keywords:

  • Gamma spectrometry
  • calibration
  • coincidence summing
  • correction
  • ANGLE
  • EFFTRAN
  • GESPECOR
  • VGSL

Abstract

During 2013 a work on the implementation of correction methods within gamma spectrometry was finalized. A coincidence-free semi-empirical calibration was established for a High Purity Germanium detector (HPGe) and validated in that work. The semi-empirical calibration has since then been successfully used within proficiency tests and for different sample geometries. Based on that calibration, correction factors for deviating densities or geometries are calculated when needed. Gamma photons emitted in cascade, i.e. true coincidence summing (TCS) can also be corrected for. During 2016/2017 a similar work has been performed but for two other detectors; The aim with this and the previous work has been to significantly reduce the number of calibrations. With one well validated calibration per detector the calculations of correction factors for systematic effects are easily performed, which results in a high flexibility for a big variety of samples matrixes and sample geometries. This report describes the validation of two semi-empirical HPGe calibrations.