High Resolution Gamma Spectrometry

Aim:    To give a practical and theoretical knowledge of all aspects of high resolution gamma-spectrometry using germanium detectors.

Course Description

Lectures:                                 12 hours

Practicals:                               20 hours

Tutorials/discussions:             5 hours

Private Study:                         15 hours

Topics:

Radioactive decay and the origin of gamma radiation and X-radiation; sources and quantities of radionuclides. Interaction of gamma radiation with matter. Features of a gamma spectrum. Germanium detectors: semi-conductors and mechanisms, types of detector available, detector specification (resolution, efficiency, peak to Compton ratio). Pulse processing; pulse types; pre-amp, unipolar, bipolar, gated integrator; impedance. Preamplifiers: resistive feedback and transistor reset. Linear amplifiers: pole-zero cancellation, baseline restoration, pile up rejection. ADC function: differential and integral linearity; conversion gain and resolution; Wilkinson and successive approximation ADCs; system dead time and dead time correction methods.