Simulating γ–γ coincidences of β-delayed γ-rays from fission product nuclei

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2015-01, Vol.770 (C), p.218-224
• Main Authors: Padgett, Stephen, Wang, Tzu-Fang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Angular correlation; Angular correlations; Cascades; Coincidences; Computer simulation; Detectors; Fission products; Monte Carlo; Nuclei; Spectra; β-decay; γ spectroscopy
• ISSN: 0168-9002; 1872-9576
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2014.10.039

Analyzing radiation from material that has undergone neutron induced fission is important for fields such as nuclear forensics, reactor physics, and nonproliferation monitoring. The γ-ray spectroscopy of fission products is a major part of the characterization of a material׳s fissile inventory and the energy of incident neutrons inducing fission. Cumulative yields and γ-ray intensities from nuclear databases are inputs into a GEANT4 simulation to create expected γ-ray spectra from irradiated 235U. The simulations include not only isotropically emitted γ-rays but also γ–γ cascades from certain fission products, emitted with their appropriate angular correlations. Here γ singles spectra as well as γ–γ coincidence spectra are simulated in detectors at both 90° and 180° pairings. The ability of these GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations to duplicate experimental data is explored in this work. These simulations demonstrate potential in exploiting angular correlations of γ–γ cascades in fission product decays to determine isotopic content. Analyzing experimental and simulated γ–γ coincidence spectra as opposed to singles spectra should improve the ability to identify fission product nuclei since such spectra are cleaner and contain more resolved peaks when compared to γ singles spectra.