High-energy resolution alpha spectrometry using cryogenic detectors

Abstract

Applications such as environment monitoring implying alpha emitters activity measurement associated with isotope identification, require high-energy resolution detectors. Conventional silicon detectors are inexpensive therefore widely used, although intrinsically limited in energy resolution. Thermal detection principle of cryogenic detectors introduces a breakthrough in alpha particle measurement. For the first time, spectra with 5.5 keV FWHM energy resolution have been obtained for several external alpha emitting sources using a copper–germanium bolometer specially developed for alpha spectrometry.