Simulation approach to coincidence summing in γ-ray spectrometry

Calculation of Coincidence Summing Correction Factors for an HPGe detector using GEANT4

The aim of this paper was to calculate the True Coincidence Summing Correction Factors (TSCFs) for an HPGe coaxial detector in order to correct the summing effect as a result of the presence of (88)Y and (60)Co in a multigamma source used to obtain a calibration efficiency curve. Results were obtained for three volumetric sources using the Monte Carlo toolkit, GEANT4. The first part of this paper deals with modeling the detector in order to obtain a simulated full energy peak efficiency curve. A quantitative comparison between the measured and simulated values was made across the entire energy range under study. The True Summing Correction Factors were calculated for (88)Y and (60)Co using the full peak efficiencies obtained with GEANT4. This methodology was subsequently applied to (134)Cs, and presented a complex decay scheme.

A simple methodology for characterization of germanium coaxial detectors by using Monte Carlo simulation and evolutionary algorithms

The determination in a sample of the activity concentration of a specific radionuclide by gamma spectrometry needs to know the full energy peak efficiency (FEPE) for the energy of interest. The difficulties related to the experimental calibration make it advisable to have alternative methods for FEPE determination, such as the simulation of the transport of photons in the crystal by the Monte Carlo method, which requires an accurate knowledge of the characteristics and geometry of the detector. The characterization process is mainly carried out by Canberra Industries Inc. using proprietary techniques and methodologies developed by that company. It is a costly procedure (due to shipping and to the cost of the process itself) and for some research laboratories an alternative in situ procedure can be very useful. The main goal of this paper is to find an alternative to this costly characterization process, by establishing a method for optimizing the parameters of characterizing the detector, through a computational procedure which could be reproduced at a standard research lab. This method consists in the determination of the detector geometric parameters by using Monte Carlo simulation in parallel with an optimization process, based on evolutionary algorithms, starting from a set of reference FEPEs determined experimentally or computationally. The proposed method has proven to be effective and simple to implement. It provides a set of characterization parameters which it has been successfully validated for different source-detector geometries, and also for a wide range of environmental samples and certified materials.

Application of Geant4 in routine close geometry gamma spectroscopy for environmental samples

This work examines the utilization of Geant4 to practically achieve crucial corrections, in close geometry, for self-absorption and true coincidence summing in gamma-ray spectrometry of environmental samples, namely soil and water. After validation, different simulation options have been explored and compared. The simulation was used to correct for self-absorption effects, and to establish a summing-free efficiency curve, thus overcoming limitations and uncertainties imposed by conventional calibration standards. To be applicable in busy laboratories, simulation results were introduced into the conventional software Genie 2000 in order to be reliably used in everyday routine measurements.

Determination of full-energy peak efficiency at the center position of a through-hole-type clover detector between 0.05 MeV and 3.2 MeV by source measurements and Monte Carlo simulations

Full-energy peak efficiency at the center position of a through-hole-type clover detector was determined by the measurement of standard sources and by Monte Carlo simulation. The coincidence summing under the large-solid-angle condition was corrected using Monte Carlo calculation based on the specific decay scheme for (133)Ba, (152,154)Eu, and (56)Co. This allowed the peak efficiency to be extended from 0.05 MeV to 3.2 MeV with an approximate uncertainty of 3%.