2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Mechanisms of Interaction -- 2.2.1 Photoelectric Absorption -- 2.2.2 Compton Scattering -- 2.2.3 Pair Production -- 2.3 Total Attenuation Coefficients -- 2.4 Interactions Within the Detector -- 2.4.1 The Very Large Detector -- 2.4.2 The Very Small Detector -- 2.4.3 The 'Real' Detector -- 2.4.4 Summary -- 2.5 Interactions Within the Shielding -- 2.5.1 Photoelectric Interactions -- 2.5.2 Compton Scattering -- 2.5.3 Pair Production -- 2.6 Bremsstrahlung -- 2.7 Attenuation of Gamma Radiation -- 2.8 The Design of Detector Shielding -- Practical Points -- Further Reading -- Chapter 3 Semiconductor Detectors for Gamma-Ray Spectrometry -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Semiconductors and Gamma-Ray Detection -- 3.2.1 The Band Structure of Solids -- 3.2.2 Mobility of Holes -- 3.2.3 Creation of Charge Carriers by Gamma Radiation -- 3.2.4 Suitable Semiconductors for Gamma-Ray Detectors -- 3.2.5 Newer Semiconductor Materials -- 3.3 The Nature of Semiconductors -- 3.4 The Manufacture of Germanium Detectors -- 3.4.1 Introduction -- 3.4.2 The Manufacturing Process -- 3.4.3 Lithium-Drifted Detectors -- 3.4.4 Detector Configurations -- 3.4.5 Absorption in Detector Caps and Dead Layers -- 3.4.6 Detectors for Low-Energy Measurements -- 3.4.7 Well Detectors -- 3.5 Detector Capacitance -- 3.5.1 Microphonic Noise -- 3.6 Charge Collection in Detectors -- 3.6.1 Charge Collection Time -- 3.6.2 Shape of the Detector Pulse -- 3.6.3 Timing Signals from Germanium Detectors -- 3.6.4 Electric Field Variations Across the Detector -- 3.6.5 Removing Weak Field Regions from Detectors -- 3.6.6 Trapping of Charge Carriers -- 3.6.7 Radiation Damage -- 3.7 Packaging of Detectors -- 3.7.1 Construction of the Detector Mounting -- 3.7.2 Loss of Coolant -- 3.7.3 Demountable Detectors -- 3.7.4 Electrical Cooling of Detectors -- 3.8 Position-Sensitive Detectors. 3.8.1 Segmentation -- 3.8.2 Gamma-Ray Tracking -- Practical Points -- Further Reading -- Chapter 4 Electronics for Gamma-Ray Spectrometry -- 4.1 The General Electronic System -- 4.1.1 Introduction -- 4.1.2 Electronic Noise and Its Implications for Spectrum Resolution -- 4.1.3 Pulse Shapes in Gamma Spectrometry Systems -- 4.1.4 Impedance - Inputs and Outputs -- 4.1.5 The Impedance of Cabling -- 4.1.6 Impedance Matching -- 4.2 Detector Bias Supplies -- 4.3 Preamplifiers -- 4.3.1 Resistive Feedback Preamplifiers -- 4.3.2 Reset Preamplifiers -- 4.3.3 The Noise Contribution of Preamplifiers -- 4.3.4 The Rise Time of Preamplifiers -- 4.3.5 Intelligent Preamplifiers and High-Voltage Supplies -- 4.4 Amplifiers and Pulse Processors -- 4.4.1 The Functions of the Amplifier -- 4.4.2 Pulse Shaping -- 4.4.3 The Optimum Pulse Shape -- 4.4.4 The Optimum Pulse Shaping Time Constant -- 4.4.5 The Gated Integrator Amplifier -- 4.4.6 Pole-zero Cancellation -- 4.4.7 Baseline Shift -- 4.4.8 Pile-up Rejection -- 4.4.9 Amplifier Gain and Overview -- 4.5 Resolution Enhancement -- 4.5.1 New Semiconductor Materials -- 4.6 Multichannel Analysers and Their Analogue-to-Digital Converters -- 4.6.1 Introduction -- 4.6.2 Pulse Range Selection -- 4.6.3 The ADC Input Gate -- 4.6.4 The ADC -- 4.6.4.1 The Wilkinson ADC -- 4.6.4.2 The Successive Approximation ADC -- 4.6.5 MCA Conversion Time and Dead Time -- 4.6.6 Choosing an ADC -- 4.6.7 Linearity in MCAs -- 4.6.8 Optimum Spectrum Size -- 4.6.9 MCA Terms and Definitions -- 4.6.10 A Short History of MCA Systems -- 4.6.11 Simple MCA Analysis Functions -- 4.7 Live Time Correction and Loss-Free Counting -- 4.7.1 Live Time Clock Correction -- 4.7.2 The Gedcke-Hale Method -- 4.7.3 Use of a Pulser -- 4.7.4 Loss-Free Counting (LFC) -- 4.7.5 MCA Throughput -- 4.8 Spectrum Stabilization -- 4.8.1 Analogue Stabilization. 4.8.2 Digital Stabilization -- 4.9 Coincidence and Anticoincidence Gating -- 4.10 Multiplexing and Multiscaling -- 4.11 Digital Pulse Processing Systems -- Practical Points -- Further Reading -- Chapter 5 Statistics of Counting -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.1.1 Statistical Statements -- 5.2 Counting Distributions -- 5.2.1 The Binomial Distribution -- 5.2.2 The Poisson and Gaussian Distributions -- 5.3 Sampling Statistics -- 5.3.1 Confidence Limits -- 5.3.2 Combining the Results from Different Measurements -- 5.3.3 Propagation of Uncertainty -- 5.4 Peak Area Measurement -- 5.4.1 Simple Peak Integration -- 5.4.2 Peaked-Background Correction -- 5.5 Counting Decision Limits -- 5.5.1 Critical Limit (LC): 'Is the Net Count Significant?' -- 5.5.2 Upper Limit (LU): 'Given That This Count Is Not Statistically Significant, What Is the Maximum Statistically Reasonable Count?' -- 5.5.3 Confidence Limits -- 5.5.4 Detection Limit (LD): 'What Is the Minimum Number of Counts that I Can Be Confident of Detecting?' -- 5.5.5 Determination Limit (LQ): 'How Many Counts Would I Have to Have to Achieve a Particular Statistical Uncertainty?' -- 5.5.6 Other Calculation Options -- 5.5.7 Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA): 'What Is the Least Amount of Activity I Can Be Confident of Measuring?' -- 5.5.8 Uncertainty of the LU and MDA -- 5.5.9 An Example by Way of Summary -- 5.6 Special Counting Situations -- 5.6.1 Non-Poisson Counting -- 5.6.2 Low Numbers of Counts -- 5.6.3 Non-Poisson Statistics Due to Pile-up Rejection and Loss-Free Counting -- 5.7 Optimizing Counting Conditions -- 5.7.1 Optimum Background Width -- 5.7.2 Optimum Peak Width -- 5.7.3 Optimum Spectrum Size -- 5.7.4 Optimum Counting Time -- 5.8 Uncertainty Budgets -- 5.8.1 Introduction -- 5.8.2 Accuracy and Precision -- 5.8.3 Types of Uncertainty -- 5.8.4 Types of Distribution -- 5.8.5 Uncertainty on Sample Preparation.
This comprehensive guide to gamma-ray spectrometry, authored by Gordon Gilmore and David Joss, provides a detailed exploration of the principles and practices involved in the field. The book covers a wide range of topics, including radioactive decay, interactions of gamma radiation with matter, and the use of semiconductor and scintillation detectors. It also delves into the electronics necessary for gamma-ray spectrometry, statistical methods for data analysis, and calibration techniques. The authors aim to provide both theoretical knowledge and practical insights, making the book suitable for researchers, practitioners, and students in nuclear physics and related disciplines. The third edition includes updated content reflecting advances in technology and methodology, ensuring its relevance to current scientific and industrial applications.