Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Analysis of Nuclear Material by Alpha Spectroscopy with a Transition-Edge Microcalorimeter

Published

Author(s)

Rob Horansky, Joel Ullom, James A. Beall, Gene C. Hilton, Kent D. Irwin, Leila R. Vale, Don Dry, Stephen Lamont, Clifford R. Rudy, Michael W. Rabin

Abstract

We present measurements from a cryogenic microcalorimeter designed to detect alpha particles. The enhanced resolution of microcalorimeter alpha detectors will provide new capabilities for actinide analysis. We demonstrate a spectral resolution of 2.4 keV FWHM for 5.3 MeV alpha particles from a 210Po source. In addition, we present an alpha spectrum from 209Po showing the first direct measurement of decay into the 205Pb ground state. Finally, measurements of 100 keV gamma-rays from a Gd source show an ultimate alpha particle resolution of 159 eV to be possible and possibly providing an avenue for investigating ion energy loss mechanisms in bulk materials.
Citation
Journal of Low Temperature Physics
Volume
151
Issue
3-4

Keywords

alpha spectroscopy, cryogenic detector, microcalorimeter

Citation

Horansky, R. , Ullom, J. , Beall, J. , Hilton, G. , Irwin, K. , Vale, L. , Dry, D. , Lamont, S. , Rudy, C. and Rabin, M. (2008), Analysis of Nuclear Material by Alpha Spectroscopy with a Transition-Edge Microcalorimeter, Journal of Low Temperature Physics, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=32776 (Accessed March 28, 2024)
Created January 25, 2008, Updated October 12, 2021