1. |
- Lutter, G., et al.
(author)
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Radiopurity of a CeBr3 crystal used as scintillation detector
- 2013
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In: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002. ; 703, s. 158-162
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cerium bromide (CeBr3) has recently been shown to exhibit several properties making it a suitable material as a scintillation detector in nuclear physics applications. The intrinsic activity of gamma-ray emitting radionuclides in a 38.1 mm x 38.1 mm (diameter x height) crystal of CeBr3 was investigated. The measurements were carried out in the HADES underground laboratory located 225 m underground. Two primordial radionuclides were detected; Ac-227 (and its daughters) with massic activity of 0.30 +/- 0.02 Bq/kg and La-138 with massic activity of 7.4 +/- 1.0 mBq/kg. Two activation products were also detected; Ce-139 and Br-82. Their massic activities (assuming a homogeneous distribution in the crystal) just before taking the CeBr3 crystal underground were 4.3 +/- 0.3 mBq/kg and 18 +/- 4 mBq/kg correspondingly. None of the other common primordial radionuclides (K-49, Ra-226, Ra-228, Th-228, and U-235) were detected and their detection limits were below 2 mBq/kg except for U-238 for which the upper limit was 135 mBq/kg and Pb-210 with an upper limit of 600 mBq/kg.
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2. |
- Billnert, Robert, 1981, et al.
(author)
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New information on the characteristics of 1 in. x 1 in. cerium bromide scintillation detectors
- 2011
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In: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 647:1, s. 94-99
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In view of highly demanded new and accurate data on prompt gamma-ray emission in nuclear fission a major part of investigations is directed towards the selection of suitable detector systems. Here we have studied a new type of crystal scintillation detectors made from cerium bromide (CeBr(3)). For the first time a full characterization of such a detector is presented in terms of energy resolution, pulse-height linearity, intrinsic activity and intrinsic timing resolution. In particular the latter one is very important for prompt fission gamma-ray studies, because the presence of fast neutrons, emitted in fission too, requires the time-of-flight method for their discrimination. The energy resolution has been found to be comparable to that of cerium-doped LaCl(3):Ce detectors at an efficiency comparable to the one of a LaBr(3):Ce detector of the same size. The intrinsic activity of the CeBr(3) crystal was observed to be much lower compared to lanthanum halide crystals. The intrinsic timing resolution of a coaxial 1 in. x 1 in. sized detector was measured relative to that of a previously characterized LaCl(3):Ce detector and found to be (326 +/- 7) Ps at (60)Co energies, which is in between those of a LaBr(3):Ce and a LaCl(3):Ce detector of same size.
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3. |
- Billnert, Robert, 1981, et al.
(author)
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Novel Scintillation Detectors for Prompt Fission γ-Ray Measurements
- 2012
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In: Physics Procedia. - : Elsevier BV. - 1875-3884 .- 1875-3892. ; 31, s. 29-34
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this work we present first results from measurements of prompt fission γ-rays from the spontaneous fission in 252Cf. New and accurate data on corresponding γ-rays from the reactions 235U(nth,f) and 239Pu(nth,f) are highly demanded for the modeling of new Generation-IV nuclear reactor systems. For these experiments we employed scintillation detectors made out of new materials (LaBr3, LaCl3 and CeBr3), whose properties were necessary to know in order to obtain reliable results. Hence, we have characterized these detectors. In all the important properties these detectors outshine sodium-iodine detectors that where used in the 1970s, when the existing data had been acquired. Our finding is that the new generation of scintillation detectors is indeed promising, as far as an improved precision of the demanded data is concerned.
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