• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.137-142
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• 2018

Background: Gamma-ray detectors having a thin window of a material with low atomic number can increase the true coincidence summing effects for radionuclides emitting X-rays or gamma-rays. This effect can make efficiency calibration or spectrum analysis more complicated. In this study, a Cu shield was tested as an X-ray filter to neglect the true coincidence summing effect by X-rays and gamma-rays in gamma-ray spectrometry, in order to simplify gamma-ray energy spectrum analysis. Materials and Methods: A Cu shield was designed and applied to an n-type high-purity germanium detector having an $X-{\gamma}$ summing effect during efficiency calibration. This was tested using a commercial, certified mixed gamma-ray source. The feasibility of a Cu shield was evaluated by comparing efficiency calibration results with and without the shield. Results and Discussion: In this study, the thickness of a Cu shield needed to avoid true coincidence summing effects due to $X-{\gamma}$ was tested and determined to be 1 mm, considering the detection efficiency desired for higher energy. As a result, the accuracy of the detection efficiency calibration was improved by more than 13% by reducing $X-{\gamma}$ summing. Conclusion: The $X-{\gamma}$ summing effect should be considered, along with ${\gamma}-{\gamma}$ summing, when a detection efficiency calibration is implemented and appropriate shielding material can be useful for simplifying analysis of the gamma-ray energy spectra.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제32권5호
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• pp.457-464
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• 2000

In this paper, we describe the results of various calculations performed for a design of the thickness gauges that use the gamma-ray backscattering method. The radiation source is assumed to be the $_{24}$1Am(60keV gamma-ray) and the detector is a single crystal scintillator in a cylindrical form. The source is located at the center of the detector with the collimator of a cylindrical shape. First, when gamma-rays are incident on a material with a constant angle, we compute the variations of the spectrum for the photons scattered into different angular intervals. Next, we compute for an optimal size for the collimator cylinder for a fixed detector size and an optimal distance from the detector to the material. Finally, we compute the number of observed photons for different thickness of two different materials, a plastic film and an Al foil.

• 분석과학
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.69-81
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• 2022

The method of measuring and classifying the energy category of neutrons directly using raw data acquired through a CZT detector is not satisfactory, in terms of accuracy and efficiency, because of its poor energy resolution and low measurement efficiency. Moreover, this method of measuring and analyzing the characteristics of low-energy or low-activity gamma-ray sources might be not accurate and efficient in the case of neutrons because of various factors, such as the noise of the CZT detector itself and the influence of environmental radiation. We have therefore developed an efficient method of analyzing radiation characteristics using a neutron and gamma-ray analysis algorithm for the rapid and clear identification of the type, energy, and radioactivity of gamma-ray sources as well as the detection and classification of the energy category (fast or thermal neutrons) of neutron sources, employing raw data acquired through a CZT detector. The neutron analysis algorithm is based on the fact that in the energy-spectrum channel of 558.6 keV emitted in the nuclear reaction ¹¹³Cd + ¹n → ¹¹⁴Cd + in the CZT detector, there is a notable difference in detection information between a CZT detector without a PE modulator and a CZT detector with a PE modulator, but there is no significant difference between the two detectors in other energy-spectrum channels. In addition, the gamma-ray analysis algorithm uses the difference in the detection information of the CZT detector between the unique characteristic energy-spectrum channel of a gamma-ray source and other channels. This efficient method of analyzing radiation characteristics is expected to be useful for the rapid radiation detection and accurate information collection on radiation sources, which are required to minimize radiation damage and manage accidents in national disaster situations, such as large-scale radioactivity leak accidents at nuclear power plants or nuclear material handling facilities.

• 분석과학
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.12-24
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• 2003

$^{252}Cf$ 중성자 선원을 이용한 즉발감마선 계측 시스템 (NIPS, Neutron Induced Promp ${\gamma}$-ray Spectroscopy)을 설계 및 구성하기 위하여, 시스템내의 감속제 및 차폐체등의 효과를 시험하고 감마선 바탕값과 Cl을 포함한 시료의 즉발 감마선을 계측하였다. 이를 위한 예비시험으로 한국원자력연구소 내에 있는 TLD 판독용 $^{252}Cf$ 선원을 이용하였으며 즉발감마선은 시스템 내부의 동축형 HPGe (GMX, 60% relative efficiency)과 시스템외부 (약 20m 거리)의 Notebook PC 중성자와 감마선의 바탕값을 측정하고, 바탕값을 최소로 할 수 있는 차폐체의 기하학적 구조를 고안하였다. 감마선 바탕값을 최소화하기 위하여 두 개의 HPGe 검출기를 이용한 감마-감마 동시계측법을 이용하였다. 이 실험 자료를 이용하여 최적의 NIPS 시스템을 구성하였다.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.317-323
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• 2014

Odyssey, one of the NASA's Mars exploration program and SELENE (Kaguya), a Japanese lunar orbiting spacecraft have a payload of Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) for analyzing radioactive chemical elements of the atmosphere and the surface. In these days, gamma-ray spectroscopy with a High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector has been widely used for the activity measurements of natural radionuclides contained in the soil of the Earth. The energy spectra obtained by the HPGe detectors have been generally analyzed by means of the Window Analysis (WA) method. In this method, activity concentrations are determined by using the net counts of energy window around individual peaks. Meanwhile, an alternative method, the so-called Full Spectrum Analysis (FSA) method uses count numbers not only from full-absorption peaks but from the contributions of Compton scattering due to gamma-rays. Consequently, while it takes a substantial time to obtain a statistically significant result in the WA method, the FSA method requires a much shorter time to reach the same level of the statistical significance. This study shows the validation results of FSA method. We have compared the concentration of radioactivity of $^{40}K$, $^{232}Th$ and $^{238}U$ in the soil measured by the WA method and the FSA method, respectively. The gamma-ray spectrum of reference materials (RGU and RGTh, KCl) and soil samples were measured by the 120% HPGe detector with cosmic muon veto detector. According to the comparison result of activity concentrations between the FSA and the WA, we could conclude that FSA method is validated against the WA method. This study implies that the FSA method can be used in a harsh measurement environment, such as the gamma-ray measurement in the Moon, in which the level of statistical significance is usually required in a much shorter data acquisition time than the WA method.

• 한국방사선학회논문지
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• 제14권7호
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• pp.849-856
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• 2020

감마선 에너지 스펙트럼 연구에서 에너지 분석을 통한 핵종 분석은 매우 중요하다. 감마선 에너지 측정에 일반적으로 사용되는 고순도 Ge 검출기는 높은 에너지 분해능과 상대적으로 높은 검출 효율 때문에 일반적으로 사용된다. 그러나 반도체 검출기는 높은 에너지 분해능을 유지하기 위해 주변 환경에서 발생하는 노이즈를 효과적으로 차단하지 않으면 원래의 성능을 유지하기 어렵고 고가의 장치의 효과를 얻지 못하는 문제점이 있. 따라서 본 연구에서는 검출기에서 발생하는 전기적 노이즈를 제거하기 위해 접지 루프 아이솔레이터 (NEXT-001HDGL)를 사용했다. 에너지 분해능 향상 효과를 테스트하기 위해 양성자 가속기 KOMAC에 새로 설치된 HPGe 검출 장치를 사용했다. 감마선 에너지 2614 keV의 경우 에너지 분해능이 (0.16 ± 0.02) %에서 (0.11 ± 0.01) %로 개선되었고, 감마선 에너지 662 keV의 경우 에너지 분해능이 (0.72 ± 0.07) %에서 0.27 ± 0.03 %로 향상되었다. 이 결과는 KOMAC (Korea Multi-Purpose Accelerator Complex)의 HPGe 검출 장비를 이용한 감마선 스펙트럼 연구에 매우 유용한 것으로 판단된다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.190-200
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• 2023

As the field of application of in-situ gamma spectroscopy is diversified, proficiency is required for consistent and accurate analysis. In this study, a program was developed to virtually create gamma energy spectra of artificial nuclides, which are difficult to obtain through actual measurements, for training. The virtual spectrum was created by synthesizing the spectra of the background radiation obtained through actual measurement and the theoretical spectra of the artificial radionuclides obtained by a Monte Carlo simulation. Since the theoretical spectrum can only be obtained for a given geometrical structure, representative major geometries for in-situ measurement (ground surface, concrete wall, radioactive waste drum) and the detectors (HPGe, NaI(Tl), LaBr₃(Ce)) were predetermined. Generated virtual spectra were verified in terms of validity and harmonization by gamma spectrometry and energy calibration. As a result, it was confirmed that the energy calibration results including the peaks of the measured spectrum and the peaks of the theoretical spectrum showed differences of less than 1 keV from the actual energies, and that the calculated radioactivity showed a difference within 20% from the actual inputted radioactivity. The verified data were assembled into a database and a program that can generate a virtual spectrum of desired condition was developed.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.3-14
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• 1986

$3'{\times}3'$ 원통형 NaI(T1) 검출기와 다중파고분석기(多重波高分析器)를 사용하여 측정한 $0.05{\sim}2.0MeV$ 구간의 ${\gamma}$선 spectrum에서 실(實)spctrum을 구하기 위하여 조사선량율(照射線量率)산출에 편리한 response matrix 방법을 사용하였다. Response mateix 구성에는, 위의 에네지 구간을 0.1 MeV의 등간격으로 나눈 $20{\times}20$ matrix로 한것과 검출기의 분해능이 입사 ${\gamma}$선 에너지의 평방근(平方根)에 의존한다는 가정하에 $0.1(MeV)^{1/2}$구간으로 나누어 $14{\times}14$ matrix로 구성한, 두가지 방법을 사용하였으며 그 역(逆)matrix들은 P-E 82/32 콤퓨터로 계산하였다. 이 방법으로 얻은 조사선량율은 에너지와 flux가 알려진 ${\gamma}$선량(陽)에 대하여 흔히 사용되는 계산방법으로 구한값과 10% 이내에서 일치하고 있으며, 선량측정학적(線量測定學的) 견지에서는 $E^{1/2}$ 구간으로 형성된 matrix가 등에너지간격으로 구성된 것보다 현실적인 것으로 판단되었다.

• 한국방사선학회논문지
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.45-49
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• 2007

동경공업대학교의 3MV 펠레트론가속기를 사용하여 10에서 90keV 영역에 대하여 $^{197}Au$의 중성자포획 스펙트럼을 측정하였다. 중성자 펄스빔은 $^7Li(p,n)^7Be$반응을 통하여 발생되었다. 사용되어진 양성자 빔의 폭은 1.5-ns였다. 금 시료에 입사된 중성자의 에너지 스펙트럼은 $^6Li$-glass 섬광검출기의 중성자 비행시간법을 사용하여 측정하였다. 금 시료의 중성자포획에 의해서 발생된 감마선은 anti-Compton NaI(TI) 검출장비를 사용하여 측정되었다. 본 연구에서는 5개의 중성자 에너지 역영을 선택했고, 각각의 에너지영역에서 얻어진 감마선파고스펙트럼을 표시하였다. 본 연구에서 얻어진 스펙트럼은 처음으로 얻어진 결과이며, 중성자 결합에너지부근에 몇 개의 천이 피크가 보인다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권9호
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• pp.3401-3408
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• 2023

In this study, we used the Monte Carlo N-Particle program to simulate the gamma-ray spectra obtained from plastic scintillators holes filled with bismuth nanoparticles. We confirmed that the incorporation of bismuth nanoparticles into a plastic scintillator enhances its performance for gamma-ray spectroscopy using the subtraction method. The subtracted energy spectra obtained from the bismuth-nanoparticle-incorporated and the original plastic scintillator exhibit a distinct energy peak that does not appear in the corresponding original spectra. We varied the diameter and depth of the bismuth-filled holes to determine the optimal hole design for gamma-ray spectroscopy using the subtraction method. We evaluated the energy resolutions of the energy peaks in the gamma-ray spectra to estimate the effects of the bismuth nanoparticles and determine their optimum volume in the plastic scintillator. In addition, we calculated the peak-to-total ratio of the energy spectrum to evaluate the energy measuring limit of the bismuth nanoparticle-containing plastic scintillator using the subtraction method.