Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-hvd4g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-09T03:26:44.564Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Low Background Liquid Scintillation Counting Using an Active Sample Holder and Pulse Discrimination Electronics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

John E Noakes  and
Robert J Valenta
John E Noakes
Affiliation:
Center for Applied Isotope Studies University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30605
Robert J Valenta
Affiliation:
Center for Applied Isotope Studies University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30605
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A Packard low-level liquid scintillation counting system is described which provides superior low-background beta-counting capability for 3H and 14C. The design is based on a novel pulse-discrimination circuit that separates background from valid scintillation pulses. Background discrimination is further enhanced by adding a plastic vial holder that acts as an anticoincidence guard. When excited by background radiation, the scintillation properties of the plastic provide an increased burst of photons to the detection electronics, which discriminate based on the number of component pulses in the burst. Experimental data demonstrate the low-level counting capabilities of this counter.

Type
I. Sample Preparation and Measurement Techniques
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 31 , Issue 3: June 20-25, 1988 Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia , 1989 , pp. 332 - 341
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Broek, W H and Anderson, C E, 1960, The Stilbene scintillation crystal as a spectrometer for continuous fast-neutron spectra: Rev Sci Instruments v 31, no. 10, p 1063–1069.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horrocks, D L, 1974, Applications of liquid scintillation counting: New York, Academic Press, p 276–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jerde, R L, Peterson, L E and Stein, W, 1967, Effects of high energy radiations on noise pulses from photomultiplier tubes: Rev Sci Instruments, v 38, no. 10, p 1387–1395.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalish, Y, Sade, J, Simon, O and Simon, A, 1979, An automatic computerized alpha-beta-gamma scintillation spectrometer, in Internatl Jour Applied Radiation Isotopes, v 35, no. 10, p 949–952.Google Scholar
Laney, B H, 1971, Electronic rejection of optical crosstalk in a twin phototube scintillation counter, in Horrocks, D L and Peng, C, eds, Organic scintillators and liquid scintillation counting: New York: Academic Press, p 991–1003.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laustriat, G, 1986, The luminescence decay of organic scintillators, in Horrocks, D L, ed, Organic scintillators: New York, Gordon and Breach, p 127.Google Scholar
Noakes, J E and Spaulding, J D, 1980, Pulse shape liquid scintillation counting for beta, gamma or beta-gamma counting, in Peng, C, Horrocks, D L and Alpen, E L, eds, Liquid scintillation counting: Recent applications and developments, Vol I, Physical aspects: New York, Academic Press, p 106–117.Google Scholar
Owen, R B, 1961, The present state of scintillation techniques, in von Koch, H and Ljungberg, G, eds, Instruments and measurements, Vol II, Nuclear instrumentation measurement of electric and magnetic quantities reactor control: New York, Academic Press, p 595–615.Google Scholar
Roodbergen, S, Kroondijk, R and Verhuel, H, 1972, Cerenkov radiation in photomultiplier windows and the resulting time shift in delayed coincidence time spectra: Nuclear Instruments & Methods, v 105, p 551–555.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valenta, R, 1987, US Patent, Reduced background scintillation counting: No. 4, 651,006.Google Scholar