This paper presents an intuitive derivation of the source and absorber factors in a slab geometry formulation of gamma-ray emissions incident on a detector. Using the attenuation equations, an application to mass estimation from a passively observed spectrum is developed for sources with gamma-ray emissions. Propagation of error provides a confidence interval on the mass estimate. The developed methods are applied to experimental spectra from a known mass of plutonium 239 oxide. Fully mature, the proposed estimation method has potential in national security applications where the geometry of attenuation materials is unknown and a first-order mass estimate is sufficiently accurate.
Revised: January 29, 2007 |
Published: December 21, 2006
Citation
Anderson D.N., W.K. Hensley, D.S. Barnett, D.K. Fagan, J.I. McIntyre, and J.C. Hayes. 2006.A probabilistic derivation of gamma-ray attenuation and application: Bayesian mass estimation with a low count spectrum.Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 569, no. 3:894-899.PNNL-SA-48257.