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Title: PCGAP: Users Guide and Algorithm Description

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/800710· OSTI ID:800710

PCGAP is a software package, which was written to provide gamma-ray pulse height spectrum analysis on a personal computer platform using the Windows NT operating system. It is a collection of programs, which provide a wide range of operability extending from the single user environment to the general purpose counting room. Included in the package are necessary data structures and libraries used to compute quantitative radionuclide concentrations. PCGAP also contains techniques to decontaminate photopeak interferences; determine activity concentrations for radionuclides independent of their associated spectral photopeak size; and three methods to determine the energy scale of a spectrum. PCGAP performs a non-linear least squares fitting of a Gaussian function to spectral photopeaks. The fitting algorithm can fit up to five concurrent photopeaks using a common spectral background. The package includes a program that will automatically locate spectral photopeaks, fit them to a Gaussian fu nction, identify the radionuclides associated with the found photopeaks, and compute a net activity concentration, and for an 8K spectrum do it in less than 30 seconds on a reasonably configured PC. PCGAP also includes a program which allows the operator to manually (using mouse clicks) identify photopeak locations, fit limits and background positions, initiate a fit to the photopeaks and then display the resulting Gaussian function forms. This interactive display function is particularly useful to resolve or properly fit photopeaks with complex adjacent structure and for photopeaks that are near the limit of detection.

Research Organization:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC07-99ID13727
OSTI ID:
800710
Report Number(s):
INEEL/EXT-2000-00908; TRN: US200217%%889
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 30 Sep 2000
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English