Precision half-life measurement of 140La with Ge-detector

J. Adam, A. G. Belov, R. Brandt, P. Chaloun, M. Honusek, V. G. Kalinnikov, M. I. Krivopustov, B. A. Kulakov, E. J. Langrock, V. S. Pronskikh, A. N. Sosnin, V. I. Stegailov, V. M. Tsoupko-Sitnikov, J. S. Wan, W. Westmeier

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Half-life is one of the fundamental properties of radioactive nuclei, and the precision required for its numerous applications in modern physics sometimes approaches the level of 10-4-10-5. Most part of the T1/2 measurements performed up to now was made with proportional chambers, and the results were sometimes hardly reproducible within the error limits. Using Ge-detectors for that purpose brought some significant advantages but electronic unit related effects and spectra analysis procedures still remain the sources of the errors influencing the accuracy of the T1/2 attained. In this work, 140La samples were obtained in the 139La(n,γ)140La reaction, employing a microtron as a neutron source and the half-life measurements were performed with a HPGe-detector. Influencing factors such as photopeak and background shape, electronic circuitry dead time and deadtime variations during the measurements, as well as pulse pileup are studied altogether. Values of the 140La T1/2 = 1.6808(18) d, λ = 0.47749(20) × 10-5, agreeing within the uncertainities with the most accurate evaluated ones (T1/2 = 1.6781(3) d, λ = 0.47807(9) × 10-5) were obtained in two series of measurements.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)419-426
Number of pages8
JournalNuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
Volume187
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2002
Externally publishedYes

Funding

This work was supported by the Russian foundation for Basic Research.

FundersFunder number
Russian Foundation for Basic Research

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