{"id":26653,"date":"2020-03-04T09:05:56","date_gmt":"2020-03-04T09:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sitepourvtc.com\/?page_id=26653"},"modified":"2023-07-14T06:06:06","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T06:06:06","slug":"detection-of-gamma-radiation-detector-of-gamma-rays","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sitepourvtc.com\/nuclear-engineering\/radiation-detection\/detectors-of-ionization-radiation\/detection-of-gamma-radiation-detector-of-gamma-rays\/","title":{"rendered":"Detection of Gamma Radiation – Detector of Gamma Rays"},"content":{"rendered":"
Detection of gamma radiation<\/strong> is very specific because gamma rays interact differently with the matter. Gamma rays<\/a> can travel thousands of feet in the air and easily pass through various materials. Moreover, gamma rays can ionize atoms indirectly and directly (despite they are electrically neutral) through the photoelectric effect <\/strong>and the Compton effect<\/strong>. But secondary (indirect) ionization is much more significant.<\/p>\n To describe the principles of detecting gamma radiation, we must understand the interaction of radiation with matter<\/a>, and each\u00a0type of particle interacts differently. Therefore, we must describe interactions of gamma rays (radiation as a flow of these rays) separately.<\/p>\n Gamma rays<\/a> consist of high-energy photons<\/a>. These photons are particles\/waves (Wave-Particle Duality) without rest mass or electrical charge. They can travel 10 meters or more in the air, which is a long distance compared to alpha or beta particles. However, gamma rays deposit less energy along their paths. Lead, water, and concrete stop gamma radiation. Photons (gamma rays and X-rays) can ionize atoms directly through the Photoelectric effect and the Compton effect, where the relatively energetic electron is produced. The secondary electron will go on to produce multiple ionization<\/strong> events; therefore, the secondary (indirect) ionization is much more significant.<\/p>\n Although many possible interactions are known, there are three key interaction mechanisms with the matter.<\/p>\n The photon is completely absorbed in the photoelectric effect and pair production, while only partial energy is deposited in any given Compton scattering. The probability of photoelectric absorption (dominates at lower gamma rays energies) per unit mass is approximately proportional to:<\/p>\n \u03c4<\/strong>(photoelectric)<\/strong> = constant x Z<\/strong>N<\/sup><\/strong>\/E<\/strong>3.5<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n where Z is the atomic number, and the exponent n<\/strong> varies between 4 and 5. E<\/strong> is the energy of the incident photon. The probability of Compton scattering per one interaction with an atom increases linearly with atomic number Z because it depends on the number of electrons available for scattering in the target atom. The probability of pair production (dominates at higher gamma rays energies), characterized by cross-section, is a very complicated function based on quantum mechanics<\/strong>. The cross-section generally increases approximately with the square of atomic number (\u03c3<\/strong>p<\/strong> ~ Z<\/strong>2<\/sup><\/strong>)<\/strong> and increases with photon energy, but this dependence is much more complex.<\/p>\n As a result, effective sensitive material for gamma radiation detection<\/strong> is, in most cases, based on the use of materials with two following material properties:<\/p>\n Detectors<\/strong> may also be categorized according to sensitive materials and methods that can be utilized to make a measurement:<\/p>\nInteraction of Gamma Radiation with Matter<\/h2>\n
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Detectors of Gamma Radiation<\/h2>\n