Speaker
Description
A low-background gamma counting facility has been developed by the National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The facility is housed within a purpose-built cave that has historically operated as a whole-body counter and is a shielded room constructed of 6-inch steel and lined with lead, cadmium, and copper [1] for shielding against the low-energy components of background radiation. The counting system consists of four high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors: two equipped with beryllium windows optimized for X-ray and low-energy gamma-ray measurements, and two 200% relative-efficiency HPGe detectors designed for high-energy gamma-ray spectroscopy. Data acquisition is performed using CAEN digitizers operating in both singles and coincidence modes. Preliminary tests demonstrate a background reduction of approximately two orders of magnitude, achieving background count rates below 1 cps. This facility provides an ideal gamma spectroscopy environment for low-activity environmental samples. A general overview of the facility and achievable sensitivities, and the first results on studying the emission probabilities of low-energy gamma transitions in Pu isotopes, will be presented.
Concurrently, the NNDC is developing a new initiative called the Adopted Decay Data Library (ADDL). The ADDL focuses specifically on accelerating the evaluation process for β−, ϵ + β+, and α-decay data and presenting it in a modernized ENSDF format. It will also include new quantities such as atomic X-ray and Auger electron energies, with data visualized through an updated NuDat interface. This prioritized effort for assessing decay data is anticipated to lead to the establishment of a standalone Decay Data Library in the future. The presentation will highlight significant advancements in the implementation.
References:
[1] Brookhaven National Laboratory (1960) BNL Bulletin, 14, 7. Brookhaven National Laboratory Personnel Office. Retrieved from https://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/bulletin/files/1960/19601018.pdf
| Contribution category | Experiment |
|---|---|
| Presenter status | Faculty/Staff |