The Gamma-spectroscopy is relevant in basic and applied fields of science and technology

Nuclear and Particle Physics Experiments

Home EducationalNuclear and Particle Physics Experiments The Gamma-spectroscopy is relevant in basic and applied fields of science and technology

Gamma Spectroscopy

SG6111 – Detecting Gamma-RadiationGamma radioactivity detection by using a system composed of a scintillating crystal coupled to a photon detector.
SG6112 – Poisson and Gaussian DistributionStudy the statistical distribution of the counting rates of a gamma radioactive source. Comparison of the data to the Poisson distribution, turning into a Gaussian as the mean number of counts grows. The study can be performed both experimentally, with the SiMP kit or simulating it with the emulation kit.
SG6113 – Energy ResolutionThe analysis of the spectrum of the deposited energy by a gamma ray in a detector discloses the essence of the interaction of high energy photons with matter and allows to learn by doing the detector related effects.
SG6114 – System Calibration: Linearity and ResolutionRecording and comparing the gamma; energy and spectra of several radioactive sources is the main goal of the experiment. The photo-peaks are used to calibrate the response of the system and to measure the energy resolution.
SG6115 – A Comparison of Different Scintillating Crystals: Light Yield, Decay Time and ResolutionCompare the basic characteristics of different scintillating crystals, namely the light yield and the decay time of the scintillation light. Verify the effect on the energy resolution.
SG6116 – Gamma-Radiation AbsorptionThe main goal of the experiment is the measurement of the gamma radiation attenuation coefficient for different materials and different energies.
SG6117 – Photonuclear cross-section / Compton Scattering cross-sectionDetermination of the ratio of the effective cross-sections due to Compton and Photoelectric effects as a function of photons energy.

Equipment

SP5600C – Educational Gamma Kit

SP5600

DT5720A

A315

SP5606

SP5607

Power Supply & Amplification Unit

Desktop Digitizer 250 MS/s

Splitter

Mini Spectrometer

Absorption Tool

SP5600EMU – Emulation Kit

DT4800

DT5770

Digital Detector Emulator

Desktop Multi-Channel Analyzer

SP5600AN – Educational Kit – Premium Version

SP5600

DT5720A

A315

SP5606

SP5607

SP5601

SP5650C

SP5608

Power Supply & Amplification Unit

Desktop Digitizer 250 MS/s

Splitter

Mini Spectrometer

Absorption Tool

LED Driver

Sensor Holder for SP5600 with SiMP

Scintillating tile

In 1895 the radioactivity was discovered by H.Becquerel and in 1903 the Nobel Prize in Physics was assigned to Curie spouses for their studies on these phenomena. Radioactivity is around us and getting to know it experimentally is essential for physics students.
When an unstable nucleus decays in a cascade leading to a stable nuclide, it emits alpha or beta or gamma quanta or a combination of them. Gamma rays are high energy photons and the spectroscopy of the emitted γ rays is instrumental for understanding the mechanism of the interaction with matter, the fundamentals about detection and the underlying nuclear physics. Moreover, it is relevant in basic and applied fields of science and technology, from nuclear to medical physics, from archaeometry to homeland security.

The gamma spectroscopy experiments can be performed by using two different set-ups’. The first one is the “Educational Gamma KIT”, characterized by a modular structure that allows to execute all the applications. The alternative equipment is the “Emulation kit” based on the CAEN Digital Detector-Emulator (DT4800) together with Digital Multi-Channel Analyzer (DT5770). The latter allows to perform a series of lab experiments without using a radioactive source and a detector but simulating the signals produced by the interaction of particles with the detecting unit. The two set-ups are highly complementary.