Abstract
We report on the development and construction of the high-purity germanium spectrometer setup GIOVE (Germanium Inner Outer VEto), recently built and now operated at the shallow underground laboratory of the Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg. Particular attention was paid to the design of a novel passive and active shield, aiming at efficient rejection of environmental and muon induced radiation backgrounds. The achieved sensitivity level of $$\le $$ 100 $$\upmu $$ Bq kg $$^{-1}$$ for primordial radionuclides from U and Th in typical $$\gamma $$ ray sample screening measurements is unique among instruments located at comparably shallow depths and can compete with instruments at far deeper underground sites.
Highlights
1.1 Low-level germanium spectroscopyLow-level γ spectroscopy with germanium (Ge) detectors has become an essential tool for material screening in rare event physics experiments
We report on the development and construction of the high-purity germanium spectrometer setup GIOVE (Germanium Inner Outer VEto), recently built and operated at the shallow underground laboratory of the MaxPlanck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg
We determine first the benchmark sensitivity that can be obtained with the GIOVE detector in measuring smallest activity concentrations of primordial, anthropogenic and cosmogenic decay isotopes in materials
Summary
Low-level γ spectroscopy with germanium (Ge) detectors has become an essential tool for material screening in rare event physics experiments. These demand lowest possible radioactivity concentrations near their target or detector array [1,2]. The present GIOVE detector is designed to significantly lower the background at our near surface location by combining efficient measures of active and passive radiation shielding. By this means, we aim at bridging the gap between shallow depth and deep underground counting facilities
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