Modelling the Depth Sensitivity of a Setup for Rapid Measurement of Carbon Concentrations in Soil

Abstract

The tagged neutron method is widely used for position sensitive elemental analysis of various substances and materials. One of the promising applications of this method is the rapid determination of carbon content in soil. The use of portable tagged neutron generators makes it possible to carry out field measurements without preliminary preparation of the samples under study. This article is devoted to the analysis of the possibility of using this method to measure depth profiles of carbon concentration in soil. A setup consisting of a tagged neutron generator ING-27 and 20 BGO-based \(\gamma\)-ray detectors was simulated using GEANT4 and the sensitivity of the method to different layers with various carbon concentration was determined.