Performance of two magnesium borate compounds, with thermoluminescent properties, to γ-rays and neutrons

Abstract

There is a permanent effort to search for natural and artificial materials with thermoluminescent properties useful for radiation dosimetry. In the aim to understand the radiation interactions with these materials, several features are determined. Here, the performance to photons and neutrons of MgB4O7:Dy and Mg2B2O5:Dy,Na were studied. The mass interaction coefficients, the linear attenuation coefficients, the mean free path and the Zeff for photons were calculated. In addition, the absorbed dose response to gamma rays and neutrons were estimated. The linear attenuation coefficients to gamma-rays for MBO:Dy,Na is larger than the coefficients for MBO:Dy due the density and Dy concentration, however the absorbed dose response for both materials are approximately the same due to the Zeff. The absorbed dose response to monoenergetic neutrons and those from isotopic neutron sources, and with Maxwellian distribution has the same trend. This response is larger for 252Cf/D2O; the absorbed dose response to neutrons is larger for MBO:Dy due to the boron concentration.