The Lab
Try measurement technology right in the browser. The simulations are based on tabulated nuclide data and the manufacturers’ own specifications – and say where they simplify.
Same radiation – two detectors
Choose one or more nuclides and two detectors. The spectrum builds up pulse by pulse, and both detectors receive the same photons – the difference you see is the resolution.
Rugged, cost-effective scintillator – common in handheld identifiers and fixed monitors.
Resolution from ORTEC RADEAGLET-R (2SG) →Instruments with NaI(Tl) in the catalogue (38) →
Highest resolution – requires cooling with liquid nitrogen or an electro-mechanical cooler.
Resolution from ORTEC GEM40 →Instruments with HPGe in the catalogue (17) →
The lines in the simulation and their sources
| Nuclide | Energy (keV) | Photons per 100 decays | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eu-152 | 39.5229 | 20.8 | K X-ray |
| Eu-152 | 40.1186 | 37.7 | K X-ray |
| Eu-152 | 42.3093 | 0.243 | K X-ray |
| Eu-152 | 42.9967 | 0.437 | K X-ray |
| Eu-152 | 45.413 | 11.78 | K X-ray |
| Eu-152 | 46.575 | 3.04 | K X-ray |
| Eu-152 | 48.697 | 0.138 | K X-ray |
| Eu-152 | 121.7817 | 28.41 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 244.6974 | 7.55 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 295.9387 | 0.442 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 329.425 | 0.129 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 344.2785 | 26.59 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 367.7891 | 0.862 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 411.1165 | 2.238 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 416.048 | 0.109 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 443.965 | 3.12 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 488.6792 | 0.4139 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 503.474 | 0.1533 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 563.99 | 0.457 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 566.442 | 0.131 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 586.265 | 0.462 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 656.489 | 0.1437 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 674.675 | 0.17 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 678.623 | 0.47 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 688.67 | 0.841 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 719.349 | 0.268 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 764.9 | 0.19 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 778.9045 | 12.97 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 810.451 | 0.317 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 841.574 | 0.163 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 867.38 | 4.243 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 919.337 | 0.429 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 926.317 | 0.273 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 963.39 | 0.1341 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 964.079 | 14.5 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,005.272 | 0.665 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,085.837 | 10.13 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,089.737 | 1.73 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,109.174 | 0.186 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,112.076 | 13.41 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,212.948 | 1.416 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,249.938 | 0.186 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,292.778 | 0.104 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,299.142 | 1.633 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,408.013 | 20.85 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,457.643 | 0.498 | gamma |
| Eu-152 | 1,528.103 | 0.281 | gamma |
- LNHB/CEA, Table de Radionucléides – Eu-152 · half-life 13.522 years
Simulation for illustration. Line energies and intensities are from LNHB/CEA, Table de Radionucléides: gamma lines with at least 0.1 photons per 100 decays and K X-rays above 24 keV. Peak widths are derived from the manufacturer’s resolution figure – scaled with √E from 662 keV for scintillators and CZT, fitted to the values at 122 keV and 1.33 MeV for HPGe. Efficiency and Compton background are simplified and identical for both detectors, and all selected nuclides have the same activity. In a real instrument the crystal size, the window and the measurement geometry also shape the spectrum.
More in the Lab
How to read a data sheet
Follow a value to the manufacturer’s document, see what is guaranteed and compare two detectors on equal terms.
How relative efficiency is measured
What does 40% mean for an HPGe detector? The measurement behind the figure, from the Co-60 source to the NaI reference.
Same source – four detector materials
Eu-152 with NaI, LaBr₃, CZT and HPGe: see when two neighbouring lines can be told apart.
Find the right instrument
Start from the task and the requirements – and see which instruments in the catalogue fit.