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Gamma ray detection
Gamma ray detection
Laptop connected to the D3S Kromek Detector.
The D3S Kromek Detector is a radioisotope detection device for gamma decay identification and neutron emission detection.
The loan kit contains a laptop with the K-Spect Software installed. You can connect the Kromek detector to this laptop to see the gamma ray energy spectrum of a radioactive source, as well as the neutron emission count.
We can see the Kromek Detector on the right with the laptop connected showing a gamma spectrum for a sample of low-salt.
Nuclei can have different energy levels, with each nucleus having its own unique ladder of energy levels. A nucleus moves down the levels of the energy ladder by emitting gamma rays, (red) with the spacing between the levels corresponding to the energy of the emitted gamma ray.
For example, potassium-40 decays to argon-40, through electron capture. This excited state of argon-40 then decays to its ground state by emitting a gamma ray. The energy of this gamma ray can be seen in the peak of the Kromek spectrum, at 1460 keV.
You can find out more about how gamma ray detectors work, using the example of the Kromek D3S detector, and how we can determine the isotopes within a sample in the video below by Dr Stuart Fegan, a nuclear physicist at the University of York.
D3S Kromek Detector
D3S Kromek Detector
Setting up the Kromek Detector
Setting up the Kromek Detector
You can find some instructions of how to set up and use the Kromek detector in your loan kit, (alternatively, you can also download the instructions). Once you have set up the Kromek detector, you can use it to analyse a radioactive sample, or look at the example spectra that are loaded onto the laptop.
Sample Spectra
Sample Spectra
In the loan kit, we provide you with a laptop to be used with the Kromek detector. This laptop is also preloaded with various spectra:
Lo-salt, (for your kit);
Mineral Rock Sample, (for your kit);
Caesium-134;
Americium-241.
Each of these samples are mentioned in Dr Stuart Fegan's video above, and are good examples to look at for the different peaks. You can find out more about the decay modes of various isotopes on the National Nuclear Data Center website's version of the nuclide chart.
Kromek Gamma ray spectrum of a sample of Cs-134.
If you have any questions about the Kromek detector and how to use it, please feel free to contact us at physics-bindingblocks@york.ac.uk.
Teaching Material
Teaching Material
Post-16 Masterclass
Post-16 Masterclass
Module 2: Experimental Nuclear Physics
There are four main types of radiation: alpha particles, beta particles, neutrons, and gamma rays. As they are the most penetrating, being able to detect gamma rays is typically the most useful.
Isaac Physics Questions
Isaac Physics Questions
You can find some Isaac Physics questions you can set to your students related to particle detectors below. Please feel free to look at our page for help setting up an account on Isaac Physics!
Useful Links
Useful Links
More Spectra
More Spectra
Each sample has the gamma ray spectrum, as well as the neutron count, recorded. Your kit also contains one particular mineral rock sample, and you have the spectrum for that particular rock. However, if you would like to look at the spectra for the other rock samples, as well as all the spectra recorded, you can download the spectra if you want to look at different samples and work out what is causing the different peaks.
You can download and uncompress this zip file and then import it into the Measurement Database of the KSpectra software, (either on the laptop we provide you or on your own device). For example, a spectrum of a sample of Caesium-134 is shown in the section above. You can see the two characteristic peaks as described in the video.
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