Methods for obtaining characteristic γ-ray net peak count from interlaced overlap peak in HPGe γ-ray spectrometer system

For a characteristic c-ray with interlaced overlap peak, and the case where its reliable and credible net count cannot be obtained using the current high-purity germanium(HPGe) multichannel γ-ray spectrum software, two new methods are proposed herein to obtain the γ-ray net peak count from the interlaced overlap peak in the HPGe cray spectrometer system, of which one is the symmetric conversion method based on Gaussian distribution and the other is where the energy average value of two close γ-rays is regarded as the γ-ray energy. The experimental results indicate that the two methods mentioned above are reliable and credible. This study is significant for the development of better γ-ray spectrum processing software for measuring complex γ-ray spectra concerning the nuclear reaction cross section, neutron activation analysis, and analysis of transuranium elements, using an HPGe detector.     

Gaussian fitting in gamma-ray spectral decomposition

In order to extract the information of 662-keV 137Cs spectra from the overlapping peaks with 583-keV 208Tl,609-keV 214Bi,the overlapping peaks are measured by in-situ γ-ray spectrometer using a NaI(Tl) detector.The spectral model is optimized by the Gaussian fitting algorithm,and the optimized fitting indexes for fitting/original value are from 0.96 to 0.99.Gaussian fitting verified by experiment is feasible for γ-ray spectrum analysis.The full energy peak of 137Cs is extracted correctly from the overlapping peaks,it is important for in-situ γ-ray spectrometer to estimate contamination of 137Cs in radiated environment and nuclear accident.     

Gamma measurement based on CMOS sensor and ARM microcontroller

A setup based on CMOS sensor and ARM microcontroller is designed to measure the γ-rays.STM32F103 is used as the main platform to control realtime online analysis of the image collected by the OV7670 CAMERACHIP~(TM) and send the image into the LCD at the desired frame rate. Accuracy of sampling interval can be regulated and controlled. The frame number of image is adjusted by STM32F103 to achieve better monitoring. Two methods are adopted to analyze the image data from the CMOS sensor. Although the CMOS sensor is of low efficiency for γ-ray detection, the results show that it is able to discriminate the ~(60)Co γ-rays.     

GEANT4 simulation of water volume fraction measurement in dehydrated crude oil

Online measurement of water volume fraction (WVF) in dehydrated crude oil is a difficult task due to very little water in dehydrated crude oil and high precision requirements. We presents a method to measure water volume fraction in dehydrated crude oil with γ-ray densitometry. The Monte Carlo computer simulation packet GEANT4 was used to analyze the WVF measuring sensitivity of the γ-ray densitometry at different γ-ray energies, and effects of temperature, pressure, salinity and oil components on WVF measurement. The results show that the γ-ray densitome-try has high sensitivity in γ-ray energy ranges of 16～25 keV, and it can distinguish WVF changes of 0.0005. The calculated WVF decreases about 0.0002 with 1 ℃ of temperature increase and they have approximately linear relation with temperature when water volume fraction remains the same. Effects of pressure, salinity and oil components on water volume fraction can be neglected. Experiments were done to analyze sensitivity of the γ-ray densitometry. The results, as compared with simulations, demonstrate that simulation method is reliable and it is feasible to gauge low water volume fraction using low energy γ-rays.     

Gamma-ray attenuation technique for measuring void fraction in horizontal gas-liquid two-phase flow

The measurement of void fraction is of importance to the oil industry and chemical industry. In this article, the principle and mathematical method of determining the void fraction of horizontal gas-liquid flow by using a single-energy γ-ray system is described. The γ-ray source is the radioactive isotope of 241Am with γ-ray energy of 59.5 keV. The time-averaged value of the void fraction in a 50.0-mm i.d. transparent horizontal pipeline is measured under various combinations of the liquid flow and gas flow. It is found that increasing the gas flow rate at a fixed liquid flow rate would increase the void fraction. Test data are compared with the predictions of the correlations and a good agreement is found. The result shows that the designed γ-ray system can be used for measuring the void fraction in a horizontal gas-liquid two-phase flow with high accuracy.     

Proposal for a high brightness γ-ray source at the SXFEL

High brightness γ-rays produced by laser Compton scattering(LCS) are ideal probes for the study of nucleon and nuclear structure. We propose such a γ-ray source using the backscattering of a laser from the bright electron beam produced by the linac of the Shanghai Soft X-ray Free-electron Laser(SXFEL) test facility at the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics(SINAP). The performance is optimized through theoretical analysis and benchmarked with 4D Monte-Carlo simulations. The peak brightness of the source is expected to be larger than2 × 1022photons/(mm2mrad2s 0.1%BW) and photon energy ranges from 3.7 Me V to 38.9 Me V. Its performance, compared to Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics(ELI-NP), and the Shanghai Laser-Electron Gamma-ray Source(SLEGS), is given. The potential for basic and applied research is also briefly outlined.     

Studies on absorption coefficients of dual-energy γ-rays and measuring error correction for multiphase fraction determination

In tiffs article, principle and mathematical method of determining the phasc fractions of multiphase flows by using a dual-energy γ-ray system have been described. The dual-energy γ-ray device is composed of radioactive isotopes of ^241Am and ^137Cs with γ-ray energies of 59.5 and 662 keV, respectively. A rational method to calibrate the absorption coefficient was introduced in detail. The modified arithmetic is beneficial to removing the extra Compton scattering from the measured value. The result shows that the dual-energy γ-ray technique can be used in thrce-phase flow with average accuracy greater than 95%, which enables us to determine phase fractions almost independent of the flow regime. Improvement has been achicved on measurement accuracy of phase fractions.     

Mass thickness measurements for dual-component samples utilizing equivalent energy of X-rays

In this paper,equivalent energy method is introduced for measuring mass thickness of dual-component samples using dual-energy X-rays.Approximately,the method adopts equivalent mass attenuation coefficients of the two components in mass thickness measurements for dual-component samples,in a certain range of thicknesses.Feasibility of the method is proven by numerical calculations and Monte Carlo simulations（EGSnrc package）.The results of absorption experiments using an X-ray machine at tube voltages of 30 and 45 kV,the relative errors are less than 5%between the nominal and detected values.Also,optical low energy is discussed at given high voltages.     

Measurement Cross Section of D（d, γ）4He Reaction

The study of D（d, γ）^4He radioactive capture reactions at low energy is very important in the fusion diagnose, but it is hard to measure for small yield and serious background. In the present work, several measures were adapted. 1） A big NaI plastic anti Compton spectrometer for low yield of high energy γ-ray was used; 2） The method of the time of flight was employed for rejecting background neutrons and cosmic rays;     

Study on the performance of a large-size Cs I detector for high energy γ-rays

The measurement of high-energy γ-rays is an important experimental method to study the giant resonance in a nucleus, c reaction in nuclear astrophysics, and so on. The performance of a large-size Cs I detector for crays detection is studied by comparison between the experimental measurements and GEANT4 simulation. The reliability of the simulated efficiency for low-energy γ-rays is verified by comparing with the experimental data. The efficiency of the Cs I detector for high-energy γ-rays was obtained by the GEANT4 simulation. The simulation shows that the detection efficiency of 20 Me V γ-rays can reach 3.8%.     

The extraction and smoothing algorithms for γ-ray spectrum of a CdZnTe detector system

The extraction algorithms for pulse amplitude and smoothing of energy spectrum have a great influence on energy spectrum of γ-rays during the digital detection and analysis procedure. For a CdZnTe digital γ detector system, different extraction algorithms for pulse amplitude and smoothing of energy spectrum are discussed in this paper. The results show that extraction of pulse amplitude using the first-order derivative method and smoothing of energy spectrum using the wavelet transformation method may obtain energy spectrum with good performance.     

Numerical Simulation of Radial and Angular Distribution of γ-Ray＇s Energy Deposition in Scintillation Optical Fibre

Angular and radial distributions of the energy deposition of γ-ray radiation in scintillation optical fibres are simulated and analysed using the Geant4 system. The results show a linear relation between the energy deposition and the radius of the fibres. The deposition is roughly inversely proportional to sinθ with θ the incident angle relative to the fibre axis. The results could provide corrections to the measurements of the scintillation fibres used in monitoring the γ-ray radiation.     

Energy deposition of γ-ray in different instances and its influence on energy detection

In this paper, we simulate γ-ray energy deposition for different incident energies with four different models using the tool GEANT4 （ Geant4.7.0, 2005 ） developed by CERN （the Center of European Research of Nucleus）. The results we obtained indicate that there are different peak values for different incident energies. That is, we can differentiate the incident energy accurately if the detector can determine the peak value accurately. This is meaningful for the geometrical configuration of the detector to get the most probable distribution （MPD） of energy deposition for different incident energies. According to the simulation, we can insert certain slices with large absorption coefficient to obtain a better MPD of energy deposition which will not alter the shape of the energy deposition.     

Radiation protection in the design of λ-ray industrial computed tomography systems

The recent increasing use of γ-rays industrial computed tomography(γ-rays ICT) in various fields has induced greater attention to its performance as well as to considerations of radiation safety. It is understood that radiation protection planning cannot be sacrificed for the sake of CT image quality during the design, manufacture,and layout of γ-rays ICT systems. In the present work, we describe a typical γ-rays ICT system in brief, and, based on experience and pertinent examples, we propose design requirements for ensuring the radiation safety of the sealed radioactive source, source container, and workspace. The design examples and dose rate measurement results illustrate that the proposed design standards are reasonable,feasible, and safe, and are therefore meaningful for the design, manufacture, and layout of γ-rays ICT systems. This paper discussed the predominant measures associated with the radiation protection of γ-rays ICT systems in accordance with the pertinent Chinese standards. In addition, based on experience and pertinent examples, the design requirements for ensuring the radiation safety of a sealed radioactive source, source container, and workspace were defined in detail. The design examples and dose rate measurements conducted in conjunction with a γ-rays ICT system and workspace employing the proposed design standards have illustrated that the proposals provided in this paper are reasonable, feasible, and safe, and are therefore meaningful for the design, manufacture, and layout of γ-rays ICT systems.     

Preliminary Measurement of the K-Shell Ionization Cross Sections of Ti by Positron Impact in the Low Energy Region

Measurements were performed of K-shell ionization cross sections of Ti element by 10～30 keV positron impact using the thick-target method. The effects of multiple scattering of incident positron and from bremsstrahlung photons and annihilation photons with the thick-target method are discussed with the Monte Carlo code PENELOPE. Meanwhile, the Monte Carlo method is also applied to determine the detection efficiencies of X-and γ-ray detectors. Our experimental K-shell ionization cross sections for Ti element are compared with the distorted-wave Born approximation (DWBA) theoretical predictions, and it is found that the agreement of the experimental data and theoretical values is good and this indicates that the experimental method adopted in this study is applicable.     

Optimized energy thresholds in a spectral computed tomography scan for contrast agent imaging

Spectral computed tomography(CT) based on photon counting detectors(PCDs) is a well-researched topic in the field of X-ray imaging. When PCD is applied in a spectral CT system, the PCD energy thresholds must be carefully selected, especially for K-edge imaging, which is an important spectral CT application. This paper presents a threshold selection method that yields better-quality images in K-edge imaging. The main idea is to optimize the energy thresholds ray-by-ray according to the targeted component coefficients, followed by obtaining an overall optimal energy threshold by frequency voting. A low-dose pre-scan is used in practical implementations to estimate the line integrals of the component coefficients for the basis functions. The variance of the decomposed component coefficients is then minimized using the Cramer–Rao lower bound method with respect to the energy thresholds. The optimal energy thresholds are then used to take a full scan and gain better image reconstruction with less noise than would be given by a full scan using the non-optimal energy thresholds. Simulations and practical experiments on imaging iodine and gadolinium solutions, which are commonly used as contrast agents in medical applications, were used to validate the method. The noise was significantly reduced with the same dose relative to the non-optimal energy thresholds in both simulations and in practical experiments.     

Development of a radiographic method for measuring the discrete spectrum of the electron beam from a plasma focus device

An indirect method is proposed for measuring the relative energy spectrum of the pulsed electron beam of a plasma focus device. The Bremsstrahlung x-ray, generated by the collision of electrons against the anode surface, was measured behind lead filters with various thicknesses using a radiographic film system. A matrix equation was considered in order to explain the relation between the x-ray dose and the spectral amplitudes of the electron beam. The electron spectrum of the device was measured at 0.6 mbar argon and 22 k V charging voltage, in four discrete energy intervals extending up to 500 ke V. The results of the experiments show that most of the electrons are emitted in the 125–375 ke V energy range and the spectral amplitude becomes negligible beyond 375 ke V.?     

Dense positrons and γ-rays generation by lasers interacting with convex target

We use quantum electrodynamics particle-in-cell simulation to study the generation of dense electron–positron plasma and strong γ-ray bursts in counter-propagating laser beam interactions with two different solid targets, i.e. planar(type I) and convex(type II). We find that type II limits fast electron flow most effectively. while the photon density is increased by about an order of magnitude and energy by approx. 10%–20% compared with those in type I target. γ-photon source with an ultrahigh peak brilliance of 2?×?1025 photons/s/mm2/mrad2/0.1% BW is generated by nonlinear Compton scattering process. Furthermore, use of type II target increases the positron density and energy by 3 times and 32% respectively, compared with those in type I target. In addition, the conversion efficiencies of total laser energy to γ-rays and positrons of type II are improved by 13.2% and 9.86% compared with type I. Such improvements in conversion efficiency and positron density are envisaged to have practical applications in experimental field.     

Analysis of Uranium Enrichment in Environment Samples Using HPGe γ-ray Spectrometry

In this work a method for determination of uranium enrichment in environmental samples was studied and the minimum detectable activities of ^235U in environmental samples （including soil, water, swipe） using HPGe γ-ray spectrometry were determined. Eq. （1） is used to calculate the enrichment of uranium in the samples. G was obtained through Eq. （1） or Eq. （2） by measuring a working standard or reference material in which the uranium enrichment is known. After determining the sample, the enrichment of uranium is calculated.     

THE USE OF MeV PROTON NON-RUTHERFORD ELASTIC BACKSCATTERING FOR THE ANALYSIS OF LOW Z ELEMENTS

The MeV proton non- Rutherford elastic backscattering (PEBS) has been used to measure a variety of low Z element- containing samples including thick SiC film, N implanted stainless steel, thin films interface (Ag on Cu) and very deep (4μ m) SOI structure by high energy oxygen implantation. It is demonstrated that by using the significant enhancement of cross sections for low Z elements and selecting the proper energy region of the excitation curves both the sensitivities for detecting low Z elements and the accessible depth of the PEBS technique are remarkablely improved over the ordinary RBS method. The disadvantages of the PEBS as compared with RBS as well as high energy He elastic backscattering (HeEBS) are also discussed.