The 4.438 MeV gamma to neutron ratio for the Am-Be neutron source

Zhenzhou Liu; Jinxiang Chen; Pei Zhu; Yongming Li; Guohui Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2007.04.007

The 4.438 MeV gamma to neutron ratio for the Am-Be neutron source

Appl Radiat Isot. 2007 Dec;65(12):1318-21. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2007.04.007. Epub 2007 Apr 14.

Authors

Zhenzhou Liu¹, Jinxiang Chen, Pei Zhu, Yongming Li, Guohui Zhang

Affiliation

¹ Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Physics, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.

PMID: 17574426
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2007.04.007

Abstract

An accurate measurement of the 4.438 MeV gamma-ray to total neutron ratio, namely R=Sgamma/Sn, for a Chinese-made Am-Be neutron source is described. The neutron strength of the source relative to a previously standardized source was determined by the manganese bath technique. The gamma-rays spectra of the source were measured using a Ø 75 x 75 mm NaI(Tl) detector. The background induced by neutrons and the absolute full energy peak efficiency of the detector were calculated using the MCNP code. The experimental ratio so obtained agrees well with the calculated value. A synthetic evaluated and recommended value of R=0.575+/-4.8% was given. We conclude that the experimental R-value appears an important characteristic for an Am-Be source.