Identification of an Unknown Material Through Gamma Ray Detection
Abstract
Gamma rays and X-ray photons can interact with matter in three distinct ways. Dependent on the energy of the photon in question, Compton scattering, pair production, and the photoelectric effect can all occur. In this lab, through the use of energy dispersive spectrometers the operation of gamma ray detectors was analyzed. Through the use of a Sodium Iodide (NaI) detector, the spectrums of a Cobalt-60 source were collected as data. These spectrums changed for varying distances from the detector as well as the length of time used for source detection. Finally, bipolar pulses were used to compensate for undershoot and give a different perspective of the spectrum. Through the use of a Germanium Detector, the spectrum of Cobalt-60 was once again acquired with the addition of Cobalt-57. This was done as to calibrate the Multi-Channel Analyzer for energy versus channel number. A new spectrum from an unknown source was then acquired and using the previous calibration a hypothesis of Manganese-54 was chosen as the known source with a peak energy of 833.38 keVReferences
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