Empirical Refinement of the GADRAS Detector Response Function
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
The Gamma Detector Response and Analysis Software (GADRAS) was augmented to enable empirical refinement of the Detector Response Function (DRF) for gamma-ray detectors. This capability is included in GADRAS starting with Version 18.8.2, which was released in February 2019 Empirical refinement enables improved computational accuracy for gamma-ray spectra when detectors exhibit characteristics that are essentially unique to a particular sensor. This report discusses how to perform the empirical refinement, and examples are presented for the following scenarios where empirical refinement is appropriate: Large plastic scintillators, which are generally composed of polyvinyl toluene (PVT), often exhibit low-energy peaks that are not associated with incident gamma rays. Regardless of whether they are artifacts produced by poor light collection or pulse processing methods, accurate spectral synthesis requires replication of these features; Some detectors, particularly those using Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM), exhibit energy shifts of Compton edges and escape peaks relative to the same scintillator material attached to a photomultiplier tube. Empirical refinement compensates for these effects, which derive from nonlinearities in the detector response; The change in the DRF as a function of displacement of the source relative to the detector axis cannot always be replicated adequately using only the few shielding parameters that are used by the response function. Empirical refinement enables improved accuracy for computation of spectra during linear transits or when the detector is close to a large radiation source. This is a particularly important consideration for collimated detectors; and, Gamma-ray imagers exhibit complex relationships between spectral response and spatial locations. Empirical refinement enables substantial improvement of the DRF accuracy for imagers.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Homeland Security (DHS); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000; NA0003525
- OSTI ID:
- 1762297
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-2019-3657; 674273; TRN: US2214887
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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