On the determination of beryllium in light element matrices using PIGE and NRA

G. Perdikakis, A. Spyrou, M. Kokkoris, Ch Zarkadas, A. G. Karydas, S. Harissopulos, S. Kossionides

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

In the present work, the determination of Be concentration in soil, asphalt and concrete samples using several IBA (ion beam analysis) techniques (PIGE - particle induced gamma-ray emission, and NRA - nuclear reaction analysis/ charged-particle spectroscopy) is presented. The samples originated from various areas of the former airport of Athens that is now closed to be used as an Olympic site. The main characteristic of the samples analyzed is their complex matrix consisting of light elements in high concentrations. For such matrices, the implementation of a deuteron beam at energies between 1 and 2.1 MeV, via the 9Be(d, nγ)10B reaction, seems to be the most sensitive among the applied IBA techniques. A HP Ge detector of 20% relative efficiency was used to detect the 718keV γ-ray of 10B. The absolute γ-ray yield of the 9Be(d, nγ)10B reaction is presented and an attempt is made in order to evaluate the applicability of PIGE in the determination of trace Be quantities in complex matrices. The results are compared to existing literature data obtained with other IBA techniques (e.g. heavy-ion spectroscopy).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)622-630
Number of pages9
JournalNuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
Volume226
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2004

Keywords

  • Absolute thick-target γ-ray yield
  • Be(d, nγ)B
  • Beryllium determination
  • Deuteron beam
  • NRA

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'On the determination of beryllium in light element matrices using PIGE and NRA'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this