OT: Gamma Spectroscopy

[macona]

So, A couple weeks ago I found a Harshaw 2"x1.5" NaI(Tl) scintillator attached to a 6199 PMT at a surplus store for $3. Finally got a socket and made up the dynode string and it seems to work well. I am running it off an old Ultravolt power supply.

I decided to give PRA a try, It is a free piece of software that plots voltage height vs occurrence into a histogram that will show you the gamma spectrum of a radioactive source. I ended using my desktop PC which can handle 192khz and 24bit input. I found the settings in the Sound control panel make a huge difference in the amount of noise. 100% volume and +20db amplification gave me virtually zero background noise shown in Intune and there was an audible difference when I monitored through speakers. Intune shows nice clear pulses. The first pic is a capture from my Tek TDS340A of the pulses coming out of the tube.

I need to get a Cs-137 source ordered. Once I get that I can get the thing calibrated to show the electron energy the detector sees. I am really not sure if this thing is working right until I get the source. The problem with the U ore is all the daughters produced with the decay of the U.

-Jerry

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/6994997180_b65e418215_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/67292116@N00/6994997180/)
IMG_2238 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/67292116@N00/6994997180/) by macona (http://www.flickr.com/people/67292116@N00/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5344/7220403646_138b09a1fc_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/67292116@N00/7220403646/)
Scintillator PMT output (http://www.flickr.com/photos/67292116@N00/7220403646/) by macona (http://www.flickr.com/people/67292116@N00/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7096/7240311338_931b16446a_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/67292116@N00/7240311338/)
Uore2.475 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/67292116@N00/7240311338/) by macona (http://www.flickr.com/people/67292116@N00/), on Flickr

[dfw5914]

You find some of the coolest junk.:D

[Bob Fisher]

Trying hard not to flaunt my ignorance, but what will you use it for? I have to agree, though, a neat find, and the price is right.Bob.F.

[Rustybolt]

Somebody bought something for 3 bucks. It's electrical. And Uranium is somehow involved.
How am I doin'?

[winchman]

Yeah, some of the daughters of U decay are real bitches, and all of them are a little heavy for my taste.

[Swarf&Sparks]

and a bitch to machine, even with flood suds

[macona]

You can use it to figure out what is in stuff. Like last year when fukushima went up I could have seen what isotopes were in the rain water.

Wiki has a bunch on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_spectroscopy

It looks like something I am doing is wrong with my set up. Not sure if I have a bad photomultiplier tube or what.

-Jerry

[flylo]

The only reason you got that for $3 is there's only 2 people on earth that knows what it is, you & the guy that donated it & he probably died of gamma ray poisoning so it all you baby!:eek:

[Bob Fisher]

AND, after we find what is in the rain water, Then what do we/you do? I don't think I need one. Bob F.

[tdmidget]

Been a while since I was involved in this stuff but I suspect that a Cs 137 source larger than a smoke detector will require a specific NRC license. Major pain in the ass and red tape.

[macona]

Nah, they are usually around $50 to $80 depending on amount.

http://www.spectrumtechniques.com/radioisotopes.htm