Effect of ErCl3 in gamma and neutron parameters for different concentration of ErCl3-SiO2 (EDFA) for the signal protection from nuclear radiation

Abstract

This study is focused on the gamma rays and neutron interaction with the different Er+3 concentrations of (2ErCl3-98SiO2, 4ErCl3-96SiO2, 6ErCl3-94SiO2 and 8ErCl3-92SiO2) EDFA amplifiers. To provide the enough information of these compounds for design and applications of radiation shielding materials in different applications in nuclear engineering and technologies. The radiation protection for optical amplifier is an important role to obtain high gain. The XCom program has been used to calculate the mass attenuation coefficients (μm), half value layer (HVL) and mean free path (MFP) in the energy range 1 keV–100 GeV of four different Er+3 concentrations of EDFA amplifiers. The Exposure Buildup Factors (EBF), gamma ray energy absorption (EABF) and fast neutron removal cross-section (∑R) have been computed. The EBF and EABF calculations are done for a range up to 15 MeV with penetration depths up to 40 mfp. The results indicated that EDFA with 8 mol % of Er+3 is the superior gamma-ray shielding. This work may be beneficial for signal nuclear radiation protection, dose evaluation and other shielding requirements.