Using Photon Activation Analysis To Determine Concentrations Of Unknown Components In Reference Materials

Journal Article · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3586149· OSTI ID:21513406

Green, Jaromy; Sun, Zaijing ^[1]; Wells, Doug ^[1]; Maschner, Herb ^[2]

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1. Idaho State University, Physics Department, 921 S. 8th Avenue, Stop 8106, Pocatello, ID 83209 (United States)
2. Idaho State University, Anthropology Department, 921 S. 8th Avenue, Stop 8005, Pocatello, ID 83209 (United States)

Using certified multi-element reference materials for instrumental analyses one frequently is confronted with the embarrassing fact that the concentration of some desired elements are not given in the respective certificate, nonetheless are detectable, e.g. by photon activation analysis (PAA). However, these elements might be determinable with sufficient quality of the results using scaling parameters and the well-known quantities of a reference element within the reference material itself. Scaling parameters include: activation threshold energy, Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR) peak and endpoint energy of the bremsstrahlung continuum; integrated photo-nuclear cross sections for the isotopes of the reference element; bremsstrahlung continuum integral; target thickness; photon flux density. Photo-nuclear cross sections from the unreferenced elements must be known, too. With these quantities, the integral was obtained for both the known and unknown elements resulting in an inference of the concentration of the unreported element based upon the reported value, thus also the concentration of the unreferenced element in the reference material. A similar method to determine elements using the basic nuclear and experimental data has been developed for thermal neutron activation analysis some time ago (k{sub 0} Method).

• OSTI ID: 21513406
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1336, Issue 1; Conference: CAARI 2010: 21. International Conference on the Application of Accelerators in Research and Industry, Fort Worth, TX (United States), 8-13 Aug 2010; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3586149; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

07 ISOTOPES AND RADIATION SOURCES
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
CALIBRATION STANDARDS
CROSS SECTIONS
DETECTION
DIPOLES
FLUX DENSITY
GIANT RESONANCE
ISOTOPES
NEUTRON SOURCES
PHOTON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
PHOTONS
SCALING
THERMAL NEUTRONS
THICKNESS
THRESHOLD ENERGY
ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
BARYONS
BOSONS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DIMENSIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY
FERMIONS
HADRONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MULTIPOLES
NEUTRONS
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
NUCLEONS
PARTICLE SOURCES
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIATIONS
RESONANCE
STANDARDS