Alpha spectroscopy by the Φ25 mm×0.1 mm YAlO3:Ce scintillation detector under atmospheric conditions

Abstract

The YAlO3:Ce scintillation crystal has excellent mechanical properties and is not affected if used in chemically aggressive environments. The detector with the diameter of Φ25.4mm and thickness of 0.1mm was coupled with the PMT, associated electronics and the MCA in order to study its alpha spectroscopy properties. The measured alpha spectra of the surface calibration sources of 241Am and 230Th were compared with results of a Monte Carlo simulation. The experiment and the simulation were carried out for three distances between the detector and the surface alpha source in order to assess the effect of the distance on the detected energy of alpha radiation. Finally, the detector was used for the monitoring of radon (222Rn) decay products (radon daughters) in the air. It was concluded that the detector is suitable for the in-situ alpha spectroscopy monitoring under ambient atmospheric conditions. Nevertheless, in order to identify radionuclides and their activity from the measured alpha spectra a computer code would need to be developed.