Time sequence determination of parent–daughter radionuclides using gamma-spectrometry

J. L. Burnett, R. E. Britton, D. G. Abrecht, A. V. Davies

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

The acquisition of time-stamped list data provides additional information useful to gamma-spectrometry analysis. A novel technique is described that uses non-linear least-squares fitting and the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm to simultaneously determine parent-daughter atoms from time sequence measurements of only the daughter radionuclide. This has been demonstrated for the radioactive decay of short-lived radon progeny (214Pb/214Bi, 212Pb/212Bi) described using the Bateman first-order differential equation. The calculated atoms are in excellent agreement with measured atoms, with a difference of 1.3–4.8% for parent atoms and 2.4–10.4% for daughter atoms. Measurements are also reported with reduced uncertainty. The technique has potential to redefine gamma-spectrometry analysis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)191-196
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
Volume313
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Gamma-spectrometry
  • List mode
  • Radon progeny
  • Time sequence

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