Analyzing Composite Materials by Characteristic Radiation

Resumo

Characteristic X-ray spectra of materials containing heavy-metal components irradiated with gamma rays are measured. The samples are irradiated with photons with energies of 122.06 keV (85.5%) and 136.47 keV (10.7%) emitted by a cobalt-57 source and include tungsten, lead, and bismuth plates and a sample of a radiation-protective composite material. The characteristic radiation from the samples and incident photons passing through the samples are detected with a low-background gamma spectrometer based on a highpurity germanium (HPGe) detector. The measured intensity of the characteristic X-ray radiation from the protective material amounts to 10% of that of the primary radiation. The elemental composition of the radiation- protective material is determined by peak positions in the spectra of the characteristic X-rays from the samples of W, Pb, and Bi. The analyzed composite material features Pb as the dominant heavy component, whereby the primary photon radiation from the source is attenuated by a factor of 3.7. The density of the lead component in the protective material was determined.