Practical Gamma-Ray Spectrometry, 2nd Edition
Author: Gordon Gilmore
April 2008
Publisher: Wiley
Radiation Detection and Measurements, 4th edition
Author: Glenn F. Knoll
January 2000
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Gamma-Ray and X-Ray Spectrometry with Semiconductor Detectors
Authors: Klaus Debertin and Richard G. Helmer
January 1989
Publisher: North Holland, 1988
Nuclear decay database
According to the 3NDWG meeting of 7 september 2005, the atomic and nuclear decay data contained within
Monographie BIPM-5 are recommended to ICRM
members and co-workers for their future decay data studies.
The work involved in evaluating nuclear data is on-going and the recommended values are updated on the LNHB website at
http://www.nucleide.org/DDEP_WG/DDEPdata.htm.
Hereafter is included a list of software that can be useful for gamma-ray spectrometrists. This is given only for
information purposes and citation does not mean that the working group recommends or supports these software. Any
hyperlinks are only given for convenience and do not imply any support from the working group.
Efficiency transfer and self-attenuation corrections
ANGLE: www.dlabac.com/angle
EFFTRAN is an efficiency transfer code with the following characteristics:
• Limited to HPGe detectors and cylindrical samples (including point sources)
• Axial symmetry of the setup assumed, except for a possible shift (misalignment) of the detector crystal
• Crystal rounding (bulletization) and an absorber can be modelled
• The standard can be an extended source, not only a point one
• User interface is an Excel workbook (with some VBA code)
• Numerical integration is realised with the Monte Carlo method, statistical uncertainty of the results is 1 %
• Execution time is a few seconds
• XCOM is used for generation of material data (attenuation coefficients)
Free software (including source files), available from http://ol.ijs.si/~vidmar/ as a ZIP file.
ETNA is a software for computing efficiency transfer and coincidence summing corrections for gamma-ray spectrometry.
The attached file (NT_Doc_etna_eng.pdf) presents
the software facilities and includes a user's manual.
A short practical presentation is attached here.
The software has been developed at the Laboratoire National Henri Becquerel and is available upon request.
Contact : Marie-Christine Lépy at LNHB
GESPECOR (Germanium Spectroscopy Correction Factors)
Contact : Octavian Sima (Bucharest University)
Coincidence summing corrections
CCCC also called 4C (pronounced "Fore-see"), is a Coincidence Correction Calculation Code with the following characteristics:
• Limited to HPGe detectors and cylindrical samples (including point sources)
• Axial symmetry of the setup assumed, except for a possible shift (misalignment) of the detector crystal
• Crystal rounding (bulletization) and an absorber can be modelled
• User interface is an Excel workbook (with some VBA code)
• Uses the KORDATEN nuclear decay data file (ca. 200 nuclides), updated according to the DDEP recommended values
• Two average K X-rays are considered
• L X-rays not implemented
• Coincidences of all orders are included
• Annihilation photons accounted for
• Spatial variation of the efficiency treated through the LS-curve approach
• Uses finite resolution of 1 keV in the spectra
• Execution time is a couple of seconds per nuclide
• No experimental efficiencies required
Free software (including source files), available from http://ol.ijs.si/~vidmar/ as a ZIP file.
GESPECOR (Germanium Spectroscopy Correction Factors)
Contact : Octavian Sima (Bucharest University)
ETNA is a software for computing efficiency transfer and coincidence summing corrections for gamma-ray spectrometry.
The attached file (NT_Doc_etna_eng.pdf) presents
the software facilities and includes a user's manual.
A short practical presentation is attached here.
The software has been developed at the Laboratoire National Henri Becquerel and is available upon request.
Contact : Marie-Christine Lépy at LNHB
Tool for spectrum transfer
SPECON is a converting utility between various spectrum files having various binary formats.
It can automatically identify 11 binary formats and three ASCII formats. They can be completely converted
to each other including experimental information if possible. This software is also useful as a spectrum viewer.
http://polywww.in2p3.fr/activites/autres/boudry/Specon.html
Peak fitting
The purpose of COLEGRAM is to accurately process experimental spectra to separate overlapping components and derive
individual areas for each of them, especially in the 100 keV photon energy region including both X-ray and gamma-ray peaks.
The processing of different types of spectra is achieved by fitting mathematical functions to experimental data sets. Several
types of functions can be used, depending on the kind of spectrum; most of them are specific to a particular peak shape: alpha,
gamma, X, or beta. Functions for overall background shapes such as exponential or polynomial, are also available. COLEGRAM uses
the least squares fitting method with the Marquardt-Levenberg algorithm and is based on a visual management under the user's control.
The attached file (NT_Colegram.pdf) presents the software
facilities and its practical use.
The software has been developed at the Laboratoire National Henri Becquerel and is available upon request.
Contact : Marie-Christine Lépy at LNHB
Attenuation coefficients
XCOM: Photon Cross Sections Database
M.J. Berger, J.H. Hubbell, S.M. Seltzer, J. Chang, J.S. Coursey, R. Sukumar, and D.S. Zucker
A web database is provided which can be used to calculate photon cross sections for scattering, photoelectric absorption and
pair production, as well as total attenuation coefficients, for any element, compound or mixture (Z £ 100),
at energies from 1 keV to 100 GeV.
http://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Xcom/Text/XCOM.html
