The international reference system for beta-particle emitting radionuclides: Validation through the pilot study CCRI(II)-P1.Co-60

The Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) is developing a new transfer instrument to extend its centralized services for assessing the international equivalence of radioactive standards to new radionuclides. A liquid scintillation counter using the triple/double coincidence ratio method is being studied and tested in the CCRI(II)-P1.Co-60 pilot study. The pilot study, involving 13 participating laboratories with primary calibration capabilities, validated the approach against the original international reference system based on ionization chambers, which has been in operation since 1976. The results are in agreement and an accuracy suitable for purpose, below 5×10-4, is achieved. The pilot study also reveals an issue when impurities emitting low-energy electrons are present in the standard solution, which have a different impact on liquid scintillation counting compared to other primary measurement methods.

A bilateral comparison between LNHB and PTB to determine the activity concentration of the same 125I solution

A bilateral comparison to determine the activity concentration of the same 125I solution was organized. As electron-capture radionuclide with a rather high atomic number, 125I must be regarded as difficult to measure. The situation is partly exacerbated by the fact that some established standardization methods, like photon-photon coincidence counting, can no longer be applied due to the unavailability of appropriate equipment and expertise. One aim of this work is to compare modern liquid scintillation counting methods for the standardization of 125I. Both participating metrology institutes have used their custom-built triple-to-double-coincidence ratio (TDCR) counters and the determined activity concentrations are in excellent agreement even though the ways to analyze the data and to compute counting efficiencies were widely independent. The results also agree with the outcome of 4π-γ counting that was carried out at LNHB. In both laboratories, the measurements were complemented by measurements with several secondary standardization methods which even allow to establish a link to the CCRI(II)-K2.I-125(2) comparison started in 2004. A good agreement between the TDCR results and the key comparison reference value of the 2004/2005 comparison was obtained.

Activity standardization of 99mTc by digitizer-based 4πce(LS)-γ and 4πce(PC)-γ coincidence counting

An aqueous solution of 99mTc was standardized by means of 4πce(LS)-γ and 4πce(PC)-γ coincidence counting. The activity concentration was obtained by efficiency extrapolation relying on four different variation techniques. In both setups, fast digitizers were used for data acquisition. Detected events were recorded in list mode format, and their coincidence relationship was analyzed in the subsequent offline analysis. The combined result was used to participate in an international comparison using the Transfer Instrument of the International Reference System.

Beta spectrometry with metallic magnetic calorimeters in the framework of the European EMPIR project MetroBeta

The aim of the European Metrology Research Project MetroBeta is to improve the knowledge of the shapes of beta spectra, both in terms of theoretical calculation and measurement. The precise knowledge of beta spectra is required for the activity standardisation of pure beta emitters. Metallic magnetic calorimeters (MMCs), a type of cryogenic detectors, with the beta emitter embedded in the absorber have proven to be among the best beta spectrometers, in particular for low-energy beta transitions. Within this project, new designs of MMCs optimized for five different beta energy ranges were developed and a new detector module was constructed. The beta spectra of ¹⁵¹Sm, ¹⁴C and ⁹⁹Tc have been measured so far; additional measurements with ³⁶Cl are under preparation. Improved theoretical calculation methods and complementary measurement techniques complete the project.

Determination of the activity and half-life of 227Th

Liquid scintillation samples with ²²⁷Th were prepared a few hours after the separation of the progeny. During the measurements, ²²⁷Th and its daughters are not in radioactive equilibrium. The counting efficiencies of the individual radionuclides of the decay chain differ from each other and the activity of an individual progeny relative to the activity of ²²⁷Th varies with time. Hence, the overall counting efficiency varies with time as well. The counting efficiency ε_T227h++ of ²²⁷Th and its progeny was determined by means of the CIEMAT/NIST efficiency tracing method. The free parameter is derived from the quench-indicating parameter, SQP(E), and from ³H tracer measurements. This makes it possible to compute the efficiency ε_T227h++ as a function of time. The individual efficiencies of all progeny are to be combined, taking correction factors and activity ratios into account. Thereby, a new, time-dependent correction, namely for the decay during the measurements, is applied. With this method, activity results are obtained that are stable over a long period of time. A least-squares method yields the time of the chemical separation as well as the ²²⁷Th half-life, which was also obtained by means of measurements in an ionization chamber. The weighted mean of the two methods (CIEMAT/NIST efficiency tracing and measurements in ionization chambers) was found to be T_1/2 = 18.681(9) d.

Results of an international comparison of activity measurements of 68Ge

An international key comparison, identifier CCRI(II)-K2.Ge-68, has been performed. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) served as the pilot laboratory, distributing aliquots of a 68Ge/68Ga solution. Results for the activity concentration, CA, of 68Ge at a reference date of 12h00 UTC 14 November 2014 were submitted by 17 laboratories, encompassing many variants of coincidence methods and liquid-scintillation counting methods. The first use of 4π(Cherenkov)β-γ coincidence and anticoincidence methods in an international comparison is reported. One participant reported results by secondary methods only. Two results, both utilizing pure liquid-scintillation methods, were identified as outliers. Evaluation using the Power-Moderated Mean method results in a proposed Comparison Reference Value (CRV) of 621.7(11)kBqg-1, based on 14 results. The degrees of equivalence and their associated uncertainties are evaluated for each participant. Several participants submitted 3.6mL ampoules to the BIPM to link the comparison to the International Reference System (SIR) which may lead to the evaluation of a Key Comparison Reference Value and associated degrees of equivalence.

Is decay constant?

Some authors have raised doubt about the invariability of decay constants, which would invalidate the exponential-decay law and the foundation on which the common measurement system for radioactivity is based. Claims were made about a new interaction - the fifth force - by which neutrinos could affect decay constants, thus predicting changes in decay rates in correlation with the variations of the solar neutrino flux. Their argument is based on the observation of permille-sized annual modulations in particular decay rate measurements, as well as transient oscillations at frequencies near 11 year^-1 and 12.7 year^-1 which they speculatively associate with dynamics of the solar interior. In this work, 12 data sets of precise long-term decay rate measurements have been investigated for the presence of systematic modulations at frequencies between 0.08 and 20 year^-1. Besides small annual effects, no common oscillations could be observed among α, β^-, β⁺ or EC decaying nuclides. The amplitudes of fitted oscillations to residuals from exponential decay do not exceed 3 times their standard uncertainty, which varies from 0.00023 % to 0.023 %. This contradicts the assertion that 'neutrino-induced' beta decay provides information about the deep solar interior.

Evidence against solar influence on nuclear decay constants

The hypothesis that proximity to the Sun causes variation of decay constants at permille level has been tested and disproved. Repeated activity measurements of mono-radionuclide sources were performed over periods from 200 days up to four decades at 14 laboratories across the globe. Residuals from the exponential nuclear decay curves were inspected for annual oscillations. Systematic deviations from a purely exponential decay curve differ from one data set to another and are attributable to instabilities in the instrumentation and measurement conditions. The most stable activity measurements of alpha, beta-minus, electron capture, and beta-plus decaying sources set an upper limit of 0.0006% to 0.008% to the amplitude of annual oscillations in the decay rate. Oscillations in phase with Earth's orbital distance to the Sun could not be observed within a 10^-6 to 10^-5 range of precision. There are also no apparent modulations over periods of weeks or months. Consequently, there is no indication of a natural impediment against sub-permille accuracy in half-life determinations, renormalisation of activity to a distant reference date, application of nuclear dating for archaeology, geo- and cosmochronology, nor in establishing the SI unit becquerel and seeking international equivalence of activity standards.

Calibration and efficiency curve of SANAEM ionization chamber for activity measurements

A commercially available Fidelis ionization chamber was calibrated and assessed in PTB with activity standard solutions. The long-term stability and linearity of the system was checked. Energy-dependent efficiency curves for photons and beta particles were determined, using an iterative method in Excel™, to enable calibration factors to be calculated for radionuclides which were not used in the calibration. Relative deviations between experimental and calculated radionuclide efficiencies are of the order of 1% for most photon emitters and below 5% for pure beta emitters. The system will enable TAEK-SANAEM to provide traceable activity measurements.

Determination of the 151Sm half-life

New measurements have been undertaken to determine the half-life of 151Sm. A pure 151Sm solution was obtained after chemical separation from a samarium solution resulting from the dissolution of an irradiated samarium sample. The concentration of 151Sm in the solution was measured by mass spectrometry, combined with the isotope dilution technique. The activity of the solution was measured by liquid scintillation counting by six European laboratories as part of an international comparison. These combined results lead to a half-life of T 1/2 = 94.6(6) a.

First measurement of the transverse spin asymmetries of the deuteron in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering

First measurements of the Collins and Sivers asymmetries of charged hadrons produced in deep-inelastic scattering of muons on a transversely polarized 6LiD target are presented. The data were taken in 2002 with the COMPASS spectrometer using the muon beam of the CERN SPS at 160 GeV/c. The Collins asymmetry turns out to be compatible with zero, as does the measured Sivers asymmetry within the present statistical errors.