Semi-empirical determination of gamma-ray kerma coefficients for materials of shielding and dosimetry from mass attenuation coefficients

Abstract

In the present study, a semi-empirical formula for determination of gamma-ray kerma coefficient, k, has been developed. It based on the experimental total mass attenuation coefficient and the theoretical partial photon interaction probabilities. This semi-empirical technique has been applied to determining semi-empirical values of k for three elements, and 20 compounds and materials at different photon energy values; also, the theoretical values of this coefficient were calculated in the extended energy range from 1 keV to 100 MeV. The results showed that all kerma coefficient curves followed the same trend, regardless the material type. Shifting in kerma coefficient minima has been observed towards the high energy by increasing the average atomic number of sample. The results of the study have also shown that the proposed formula is simple and has potential application for determining the semi-empirical kerma coefficient of various elements, compound, and materials over a wide range of photon energy from 1 keV to 100 GeV.