Defined solid angle alpha counting at NPL.

This paper describes the design of and first measurements with the new defined solid angle (DSA) alpha counter at the National Physical Laboratory, UK, with the aim of enabling high-precision radionuclide standardisations for alpha-emitting radionuclides and half-life measurements. The counter may be employed at three source-detector distances in order to monitor the measured activities with calculated geometrical efficiencies. Initial results are promising but further work is required to reduce the dominant uncertainty associated with the source activity distribution.