308.1

Gamma Counting Equipment and Techniques
The sensing element of the scintillation spectrometer was a

1+ ine-diameter, l-in. thick cylindrical crystal of NaI(T1l). The

crystal was mounted with a powdered MgO reflector on the photo-cathode
of a selected RCA 5819 photomultiplier tube. The voltage supplying

the photomultiplier was well stabilized, being kevt constant to a few

tenths ver cent during a particular run.

The output of the photo=

miltiplier was coupled to an Atomic 204-B pulse amplifier.

The linear

high level output of the aniplifier went to an Atomic 510 single channel pulse height analyzer, the outpout of which was recorded with a

standard=type scaler. Background was reduced by using a $ in. lead
shield surrounding the NaI(T1l) crystal,

Several grams of fallout, consisting largely of coral-like
material, made up the sample to be analyzed. The material was ground

to a powder and for the first series of runs a 0.0246 gram sample was
used»

The sample was placed about 9/16 in. from the face of the

NaI(T1) crystal.

There was 1/8 in. of aluminum between the source

and crystal to stop the high-energy beta rays coming from some of the
decaying isotopes. A channel width of one volt was chosen for the

pulse height analyzer as a compromise between good statistics and
resolution. Data were obtained by moving the pulse height analyzer
in ons volt steps over the whole pulse height spectrum, counting for a
given length of time at each point.

Before each run the pulse height

dial of the spectrometer was calibrated for energy using the 0.511 Mev
annihilation radiation from the decay of Na“ positrons. Data on each

run were taken for the above ensrgy scale.

In addition, the amplifier

gain was increased by a factor of 4 and the spectrum rerun to examine
the low energy end of the spectrum. The pulse height spectrum ob-

tained 10 days after shot time is shown in Migse 3624 and 3025.
3e3e2

Procedure Used in Analysis of Curves

Analysis of th2 experimental data is based on four facts:
(i) the gamm decay schemes of most isotopes are known with a reasonable degree of accuracy, (2) the shape of the spectrum for any one

isotope remains unchanged for varying amounts of the isotope, (3) the
photo-peak of the highest energy gamma in a spectrum is not affected

by any other reaction in the crystal, (.) the area of a photo-peak is

a valid measure of the anount of the gamma producing that peak. Additional aids in the assignment of specific photo-peaks to individual
isotopes were found in decay data fromthe sample spectra, and the
information covering the major contributing fission products at any

given time after the fission of U235.15/

The photo=prak and part of the Compton distribution of the 1.6

Mev gamm ray of La

appeared to be uncontaminated by other gamma

rays, Lal40 4s the 40 hr daughter of 12.8 day Bal49, According to

the table of isotopes,17/ these two isotopes have peak gamma rays at
2051 and 3.00 Mev.

‘The 1.6 Mev photo-peak suggested the possibility

of normalizing the known scintillation counter spectrum of Bal40 and
tal40 to that of the fallout sample.

Then,by point-by~point subtrace

tion of the spectrum,one would remove the effect of the Bal40 ana
76

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