Implementation and optimisation of cosmic veto system using digital electronics in an environmental gamma-spectrometry laboratory

IF 1.6 3区物理与天体物理 Q2 NUCLEAR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Radiation Measurements Pub Date : 2024-09-20 DOI:10.1016/j.radmeas.2024.107302

Luka Bakrač , Tomislav Ilievski , Nikola Marković , Damir Bosnar , Ivana Tucaković

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Abstract

This paper presents a detailed description of construction and introduction of an assembly for cosmic veto system at the Laboratory for radioecology of the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb. It is a typical surface laboratory for environmental radioactivity measurements using HPGe detectors. In surface level laboratories a large part of the background signal is caused by radiation produced by cosmic radiation, mostly by muons. It leads to limiting factors for reaching low detection limits, essential in environmental sample measurements, where relatively low activity concentrations are expected. Thus, reduction of cosmic component of background becomes a requirement, but also a challenge and an expense for already set routine gamma spectrometric laboratories. This paper offers a detailed description of materials and steps needed for construction and implementation of such an assembly as a guideline for other laboratories. The homebuilt veto system presented here is based on large scintillator plates covering the existing passive lead shielding. For the easy and rapid characterization of the veto system, a newly acquired digitizer was used. More specifically, the timestamping capabilities of the CAEN DT5781 MCA were used to identify the coincidences caused by muons between the scintillators and the HPGe. With the 3 plates added, a reduction factor of 2.4 was achieved, reducing the count rate between 40 keV and 2700 keV from 0.58 cps to 0.27 cps. After the full characterization of the veto system, the setup was transferred back to the previously used Canberra DSA, more suitable for routine measurements. This step and its description are lacking in the existing literature, while it is very valuable for the laboratories already set up for the environmental measurement. The additional advantages of a homebuilt system are the modularity and multi-purpose of the system which can later be used for different applications.

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在环境伽马能谱仪实验室利用数字电子技术实施和优化宇宙否决系统

本文详细介绍了萨格勒布鲁杰尔-博什科维奇研究所放射生态学实验室宇宙否决系统组件的建造和引进情况。这是一个使用 HPGe 探测器进行环境放射性测量的典型地面实验室。在地表实验室中，很大一部分本底信号是由宇宙辐射（主要是μ介子）产生的。这导致了达到低检测限的限制因素，而低检测限对于环境样品测量是至关重要的，因为环境样品的放射性浓度相对较低。因此，减少本底中的宇宙成分就成了一项要求，同时也是一项挑战，对已经建立的常规伽马能谱实验室来说也是一笔开支。本文详细介绍了建造和实施这种装置所需的材料和步骤，为其他实验室提供指导。本文介绍的自制否决系统是以覆盖现有被动铅屏蔽的大型闪烁板为基础的。为了简便快速地鉴定否决系统，使用了新购置的数字转换器。更具体地说，CAEN DT5781 MCA 的时间戳功能被用来识别闪烁体和 HPGe 之间μ介子引起的重合。由于增加了 3 块板，减少系数达到了 2.4，使 40 keV 至 2700 keV 之间的计数率从 0.58 cps 降至 0.27 cps。在对否决系统进行全面鉴定之后，该装置被转回先前使用的堪培拉 DSA，因为它更适合常规测量。现有文献中缺乏对这一步骤及其说明的介绍，而这一步骤对于已经建立的环境测量实验室来说非常有价值。自制系统的额外优势在于系统的模块化和多用途性，日后可用于不同的应用领域。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Radiation Measurements 工程技术-核科学技术

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

20.00%

发文量

116

审稿时长

48 days

期刊介绍： The journal seeks to publish papers that present advances in the following areas: spontaneous and stimulated luminescence (including scintillating materials, thermoluminescence, and optically stimulated luminescence); electron spin resonance of natural and synthetic materials; the physics, design and performance of radiation measurements (including computational modelling such as electronic transport simulations); the novel basic aspects of radiation measurement in medical physics. Studies of energy-transfer phenomena, track physics and microdosimetry are also of interest to the journal. Applications relevant to the journal, particularly where they present novel detection techniques, novel analytical approaches or novel materials, include: personal dosimetry (including dosimetric quantities, active/electronic and passive monitoring techniques for photon, neutron and charged-particle exposures); environmental dosimetry (including methodological advances and predictive models related to radon, but generally excluding local survey results of radon where the main aim is to establish the radiation risk to populations); cosmic and high-energy radiation measurements (including dosimetry, space radiation effects, and single event upsets); dosimetry-based archaeological and Quaternary dating; dosimetry-based approaches to thermochronometry; accident and retrospective dosimetry (including activation detectors), and dosimetry and measurements related to medical applications.