Radiopurity of a CeBr3 crystal used as scintillation detector
Journal article, 2013

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.

Scintillator

HPGe-detector

Underground laboratory

CeBr3

Gamma-ray spectrometry

Author

G. Lutter

M. Hult

Robert Billnert

Chalmers, Applied Physics, Subatomic Physics

Andreas Oberstedt

Chalmers, Applied Physics, Subatomic Physics

S. Oberstedt

E. Andreotti

G. Marissens

U. Rosengard

F. Tzika

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

0168-9002 (ISSN)

Vol. 703 158-162

Subject Categories

Physical Sciences

DOI

10.1016/j.nima.2012.11.174

More information

Created

10/8/2017