Title: ABSOLUTE MEASUREMENT OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCE STRENGTHS WITH THE HELP OF A NEW DEVELOPMENT OF THE COINCIDENCE METHOD
Abstract: The coincidence-method, a well known method for measuring absolute radioactive source-strengths (number of decays per second), has been confined in its application to a few special decay schemes. A new development of this method makes it now applicable to wide classes of disintegration schemes and all kinds of radiation. Using over-all counter responses (W) of less than 0.01 the new method constitutes the limiting case (W << 1), opposite to the 4 pi counter (W approximately 1). By making the counters roughly equally sensitive for both radiations, which are the Partners of the coincidence, counter response and solid angle vanish quite generally from the expressions for the source-strength. Practical methods are given on how to realize equal response for both radiations with scintillation counters. A difference in response of 10% only makes an error of 0.3% in the value of the absolute source strength. Corrections are considered for source extension, angular correlation, and finite resolving power of the apparatus. Generally, the precision of the absolute values will be at least 1%, in favorable cases 0.2% are possible. Measurements with Na/sup 24/, Co/sup 60/, Na/sup 22/, and Au/sup 198/ are given. (auth)
Publication Year: 1959
Publication Date: 1959-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot