Improved method for the assessment of 6°Co and ¹³4Cs point sources in samples with non-homogeneous matrix.

The correlation method (Suvaila et al., 2013) is extended to the assessment of (60)Co and (134)Cs point sources embedded in non-homogeneous samples. Experimental data reveal a strong correlation between the efficiency ε(1173 keV) and the ratio of the count rate R in the sum peak of 2505 keV and in the peak of 1332 keV. The correlation pattern and the measured R(2505)/R(1332) give unbiased values for ε(1173 keV), independent of source position and sample matrix. Monte Carlo simulations for (60)Co and (134)Cs support this conclusion.

Improving the assessment of activity in samples with non-uniform distribution using the sum peak count rate.

In this work a method for the evaluation of the activity when a point source containing (60)Co is located in an unknown position within a sample is developed. The method can be applied if the count rate in the 2,505 keV sum peak has an acceptable uncertainty. It is based on the correlation between the apparent efficiency for the 1,173 keV peak and the ratio of the count rate in the sum peak of 2,505 keV and in the 1,332 keV peak. The correlation was observed in the measurements of a (60)Co point source located in various positions in a soil sample. The measurements were done with a 47% efficiency n-type HPGe detector. The correlation is also observed in the measurements and simulations done with a Compton-suppressed spectrometer having a 100% n-type HPGe detector. The results obtained with the proposed method are less affected by the uncertainty of the position of the point source than the results obtained using the standard methods of activity evaluation.

Monte Carlo simulation by GEANT 4 and GESPECOR of in situ gamma-ray spectrometry measurements.

The application of GEANT 4 and GESPECOR Monte Carlo simulation codes for efficiency calibration of in situ gamma-ray spectrometry was studied. The long computing time required by GEANT 4 prevents its use in routine simulations. Due to the application of variance reduction techniques, GESPECOR is much faster. In this code specific procedures for incorporating the depth profile of the activity were implemented. In addition procedures for evaluating the effect of non-homogeneity of the source were developed. The code was validated by comparison with test simulations carried out with GEANT 4 and by comparison with published results.

On within sample homogeneity testing using gamma-ray spectrometry.

Several problems concerning (133)Ba activity distribution in a cylindrical source were addressed by measurements with a 47% n-type HPGe detector and by simulation. Within-sample homogeneity was tested using the count rates from normal and from pure sum peaks. The sensitivity of front versus back source measurements to deviations from uniform distribution was studied. In the case of distributions symmetric with respect to the median plane of the source quantities that can provide information on the distribution of the activity were proposed.

Thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry approach for characterization of the volatile fraction from amber specimens: a possibility of tracking geological origins.

Research on the chemical composition of fossil resins has evolved during the last decades as a multidisciplinary field and is strongly oriented toward the correlation with their geological and botanical origin. Various extraction procedures and chromatographic techniques have been used together for identifying the volatile compounds contained in the fossil resin matrix. Hyphenation between thermal desorption (TD), gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry detection (MS) has been chosen to investigate the volatile compounds fraction from ambers with a focus on Romanite (Romanian amber) and Baltic amber species. A data analysis procedure was developed for the main purpose of fingerprinting ambers based on the MS identity of the peaks generated by the volatile fraction, together with their relative percentual area within the chromatogram. Chromatographic data analysis was based entirely on Automated Mass Spectral Deconvolution &Identification System (AMDIS) software to produce deconvoluted mass spectra which were used to build-up a mixed mass spectra and relative retention scale library. Multivariate data analysis was further applied on AMDIS results with successful discrimination between Romanite and Baltic ambers. A special trial was conducted to generate pyrolysis "like" macromolecular structure breakdown to volatile compounds by gamma irradiation with a high absorbed dose of 500 kGy. Contrary to our expectations the volatile fraction fingerprints were not modified after irradiation experiments. A complementary non-destructive new approach by ESR spectroscopy was also proposed for discriminating between Romanite and Baltic ambers.