The performance determination of a Compton-suppression spectrometer and the measurement of the low level radioactive samples

Abstract

The performance of a new Compton-suppression spectrometer consisting of one HPGe detector and three NaI(Tl) detectors was studied. The peak-to-Compton ratio for a (137)Cs source is 1150 and the integral background count rate is 0.3 5s(-1) over the energy interval 20-3000 keV. The spectrometer was used to acquire both Compton-suppressed and non-suppressed spectra of aerosol samples collected in Beijing following the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Keywords: Activity; Activity concentration; Aerosol sample; Compton-suppression spectrometer; Peak-to-Compton ratio.