Short-lived Alpha Sources of Energies 6.0 MeV and 7.69 MeV for Calibration Purposes

• Published in: Radiation protection dosimetry 2001-01, Vol.94 (3), p.281-285
• Main Authors: Pressyanov, D., Poffin, A., Meesen, G., Van Deynse, A., Buysse, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied radiobiology (equipment, dosimetry...); Biological and medical sciences; Biological effects of radiation; Calibration; Elements, Radioactive - analysis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Models, Theoretical; Nuclear Energy; Radiation Monitoring - methods; Radon - adverse effects; Radon - analysis; Sensitivity and Specificity; Spectrometry, Gamma; Tissues, organs and organisms biophysics
• ISSN: 0144-8420; 1742-3406
• DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.rpd.a006501

An approach for preparation of short-lived a sources of energy 6.0 MeV and 7.69 MeV is proposed. The sources are prepared by taking a sample of 222Rn progeny on an a spectrometric filter. The activities (or related parameters) of 218Po, 214Pb and 214Bi at the end of sampling are precisely determined by a reference measurement with an a spectrometer. Further they are used as input values to calculate with a sufficient precision the number of emitted a particles of any energy and at any time interval of interest. Theoretical modelling and experimental results demonstrated that such sources could be prepared with a sufficient purity. There is a potential for the number of a particles emitted in a given time interval to be certified with an accuracy of 1-2%.