The Rare-Earth Elements (REE) distribution pattern, along with the
206
Pb/
204
Pb,
207
Pb/
204
Pb and
208
Pb/
204
Pb isotopic ratios, can assist nuclear forensics practitioners and safeguards in ...tracing a uranium nuclear material back to its origin or in verifying the declared origin or accountancy. The present paper shows the first "in-house" analytical method, developed within the "Horia Hulubei" National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), with the purpose of monitoring REE and lead impurities in uranium oxide samples. A total of nine spiked replicate samples and three subsamples of UO
2
Merck testing material were subject to the developed procedure. The method was validated in terms of selectivity, trueness (recovery), determination of the quantification limit, precision (repeatability) and ruggedness, proving that is suitable for monitoring REE and lead impurities in the tested matrix.
We present the results of the search for large-scale anisotropies in the arrival directions of cosmic rays performed with the KASCADE-Grande experiment at energies higher than eV. To eliminate ...spurious anisotropies due to atmospheric or instrumental effects we apply the east-west method. We show, using the solar time distribution of the number of counts, that this technique allow us to remove correctly the count variations not associated to real anisotropies. By applying the east-west method we obtain the distribution of number of counts in intervals of 20 minutes of sidereal time. This distribution is then analyzed by searching for a dipole component; the significance of the amplitude of the first harmonic is 3.5 , therefore, we derive its upper limit. The phase of the first harmonic is determined with an error of a few hours and is in agreement with the measurements obtained in the 1014 < E < 2 × 1015 eV energy range by the EAS-TOP, IceCube, and IceTop experiments. This supports the hypothesis of a change of the phase of the first harmonic at energies greater than ∼2 × 1014 eV.
Non-destructive methods were applied to determine the isotopic composition and the time elapsed since last chemical purification of nine uranium samples. The applied methods are based on measuring ...gamma and X radiations of uranium samples by high resolution low energy gamma spectrometric system with planar high purity germanium detector and low background gamma spectrometric system with coaxial high purity germanium detector. The “Multigroup γ-ray Analysis Method for Uranium” (MGAU) code was used for the precise determination of samples’ isotopic composition. The age of the samples was determined from the isotopic ratio 214Bi/234U. This ratio was calculated from the analyzed spectra of each uranium sample, using relative detection efficiency. Special attention is paid to the coincidence summing corrections that have to be taken into account when performing this type of analysis. In addition, an alternative approach for the age determination using full energy peak efficiencies obtained by Monte Carlo simulations with the GESPECOR code is described.
The goal of this study is to provide a benchmark for the use of Monte Carlo simulation when applied to coincidence summing corrections. The examples are based on simple geometries: two types of ...germanium detectors and four kinds of sources, to mimic eight typical measurement conditions. The coincidence corrective factors are computed for four radionuclides. The exercise input files and calculation results with practical recommendations are made available for new users on a dedicated webpage.
Semi-empirical methods for 210Pb self-attenuation corrections were applied to sediment samples in vial and cylindrical geometries, and were validated against Monte Carlo modelling. Full Monte Carlo ...modelling (GESPECOR code) of the Cutshall transmission method was successfully applied for the determination of mass attenuation coefficients and efficiency transfer factors for coaxial detectors, and compared with the values derived from the matrix chemical composition. Simplified approaches were recommended when dealing with large numbers of samples.
•Semi-empirical methods for self-attenuation corrections of 210Pb are evaluated.•µ and ETF successfully determined by GESPECOR computation of the transmission experiment.•Simplified approaches for ETF determination are recommended for large number of samples.
The KASCADE experiment measures extensive air showers induced by cosmic rays in the energy range around the so-called knee. The data of KASCADE have been used in a composition analysis showing the ...knee at 3–5
PeV to be caused by a steepening in the light-element spectra T. Antoni et al., (KASCADE Coll.), Astropart. Phys. 24 (2005) 1–25. Since the applied unfolding analysis depends crucially on simulations of air showers, different high-energy hadronic interaction models (QGSJet and SIBYLL) were used. The results have shown a strong dependence of the relative abundance of the individual mass groups on the underlying model. In this update of the analysis we apply the unfolding method with a different low energy interaction model (FLUKA instead of GHEISHA) in the simulations. While the resulting individual mass group spectra do not change significantly, the overall description of the measured data improves by using the FLUKA model. In addition data in a larger range of zenith angle are analysed. The new results are completely consistent, i.e. there is no hint to any severe problem in applying the unfolding analysis method to KASCADE data.
The assessment of uncertainty in free release measurements by integral gamma scanning method is described and applied to the measurement of homogeneous and heterogeneous waste drums. It is based on ...the propagation of distributions using the Monte Carlo method. In addition, two techniques for the uncertainty reduction are also described. The first technique makes use of containers constructed from two concentric cylinders and the second technique is based on the measurement of a group of waste drums. It is proved that the uncertainty of clearance measurements can be reduced using both techniques.
•Uncertainty assessment in free release measurements is described.•Uncertainty assessment is based on the propagation of distributions.•Two techniques for uncertainty reduction are also described.•It is proved that the uncertainty can be reduced using both techniques.
The aim of this investigation is to reveal the structure of 150Sm by measuring for the first time a rather complete set of energy levels of this nucleus up to 4 MeV and determine the total angular ...momentum of the states. The study was carried out at the 14 MV Tandem Accelerator of the Munich universities by measuring complete angular distributions for states up to 4 MeV excited in the direct two-neutron transfer reaction 152Sm(p,t)150Sm at an incident energy of 22 MeV. Emphasis was put on determining the 0+ excited states, which are some of the most important excitations in the rare-earth region. Up to now only three 0+ levels are known in 150Sm, and investigating the distribution of energy and intensity of these excited states also at higher excitation energy might reveal the main contributions in the wave functions of this nucleus.
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