Sensitivities of fluorine detection in different matrices throught the F(p,αγ)O reaction

Abstract

Sensitivities for detecting fluorine, distributed uniformly in elements with atomic numbers 8, 13, 20, 28, 34, 42, 50, 60, 68 and 79, through the F(p,αγ)O reaction, have been calculated using experimentally measured excitation functions and the available energy-range data. Thick target yields of the prompt 6.13 MeV gammas, as well as of the three gamma-lines of 6.13, 6.92 and 7.12 MeV combined, have been plotted as a function of the incident energy of up to 4.16 MeV. From these yield curves the sensitivity of detecting fluorine in thick or thin samples, and even in a layer of known thickness at a particular depth within a thick target, can be directly read for known bombarding and detecting conditions. The curves should also be valid, to a certain approximation, for neighbouring elements and for mixtures or compounds with similar average atomic numbers. Furthermore, it is explained as to how these yield curves can also be used in non-destructive profile analysis of fluorine to much greater depths than can be achieved by the well-known resonance-shift method.