Neutron Activation Analysis, A Titanium Material Study

POSTER

Abstract

In order to obtain faster and more accurate measurements of radioactive contaminates within a sample of titanium we expose it to a neutron flux. This flux will activate the stable and quasi stable (those with extremely long half lives) isotopes into resultant daughter cells that are unstable which will result in shorter half lives on the order of minutes to days. We measured the resulting decays in the Germanium Crystal Detector and obtained a complex gamma spectrum. A mathematical model was used to recreate the production of the measured isotopes in the neutron flux and the resultant decays. Using this model we calculated the mass percent of the contaminate isotopes inside our titanium sample. Our mathematical model accounted for two types of neutron activation, fast or thermal activation, since this would determine which contaminate was the source of our signals. By looking at the percent abundances, neutron absorption cross-sections and the resulting mass percents of each contaminate we are able to determine the exact source of our measured signals. Additionally we implemented a unique ratio method to cross check the mathematical model. Our results have verified that for fast neutron activation and thermal neutron activation the method is accurate.

Authors

  • Antony Valentini

    CITA, MIT, Caltech/JPL, Academia Sinica, Dong Hwa Univ., Soochow Univ., Nanticoke High School, UT, Maverick Systems Corp., RIS Corp., LSU, Shimadzu Corp., UNIRIB, ORAU/ORISE, Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of South Dakota, RIKEN BNL Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Brown University, University of Maryland, Jet Propulsion Laboratory - California Institute of Technology, Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Tech, University of Rochester, University of Idaho, Texas A\&M University, Universit\'e Paris Diderot-Paris 7, Washington University in St. Louis, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rockwell Collins Inc., Northwestern University, N IST, Indiana Unviersity, Harvard University, University of Notre Dame, Fachbereich Theoretische Physik, Institut fur Physik, Karl-Franzens-Universitat Graz, Austria, Instituto de Estructura de la Materia, CSIC, Spain, Physics Department, University of Wisconsin-Barron, Orion Foundation, Physics Dept, University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida, 32514, TUNL, Duke University, James Madison University, University of New Mexico, Photonics CoE, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Washington, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology (and West Virginia University), NRAO, University of Florida, LLNL / NPS, LLNL, UC Berkeley, LLNL/NPS, Univerity of Washington, CNRS-IN2P3, Marseille, FR, CERN and King's College, London UK, Brookhaven National Laboratory, ICTP, Trieste, IT, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Princeton University, North Carolina Central U. (NCCU), Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL), University of California, Riverside, NSCL/MSU, Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, Duke University, University of North Carolina, Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, KVI Groningen, APS Director of Public Affairs, Perimeter Institute, Caltech, Rutgers, U. Tenn., ORNL, Stanford School of Medicine, Radiation Oncology and Molecular Imaging Program, Stanford Applied Physics Department, Stanford School of Medicine, Radiation Oncology, Boston University, BNL, Rutgers University, Purdue University, Penn. State University, UCSD, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of Richmond, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Mississippi State University, University of Tennessee, Argonne National Lab, Florida State University, US Naval Academy, ANL, Univ. of Maryland, Univ. of Massachusetts (Lowell), Univ. of Tennessee, Univ. of Manchester, UK, NBI, Danmark, Mississippi State Univ., Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, UGC-DAE Consortium for Science Research, Kolkata, India, Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, San Jose State University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of Chicago, Fermilab, Program Director, US LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP), Montana State University, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, School of Mathematics, University of Southampton, CCT, Louisiana State University, CSIC-IEEC Barcelona, TAPIR, California Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Brownsville, Royal Military College of Canada, California State University, Sacramento, Norfolk State University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Utah State University, Executive Producer \& Co-Creator of The Big Bang Theory, University of California, Los Angeles, Cyclotron Institute, Texas A\&M University, Hope College, NSCL, Augustana College, Clemson University