A target was prepared for cyclic neutron activation analysis by heat sealing lithium-carbonate in polyethylene. The target was cyclically irradiated 50 times using a Thermo-Scientific accelerator based deuterium-tritium fusion neutron generator. During counting periods, gamma-rays emitted by (16)N were detected using three high-purity germanium detectors acquiring data in list-mode. Total counts acquired in each spectrum were compared between the three detectors to examine variability in geometric positioning of the target and variability of the generator intensity throughout the experiment. These two effects were determined to be the primary sources of variation in the measured counts. Variation in target positioning and generator intensity were found to increase the standard deviation by 34% and 33%, respectively. Transit times to the detector were found to be slower and more variable than transit to the generator but were well below the half second threshold needed to measure short-lived radionuclides with half-lives on the order of seconds. The standard deviation in irradiation time was found to be less than 1 milliseconds. The impact on statistical variability in the measured counts was negligible relative to the two primary sources of variation. Spectra acquired from each cycle were summed together. The sum of the peak areas from the 6.1 MeV gamma-ray and its corresponding single and double escape peaks were used to measure the half-life of (16)N. The result of 7.108(15)seconds derived from data suggests that the currently published value of 7.13(2)seconds has minimal systematic bias induced by background.
Stock solutions of (233)Th were produced by the (232)Th(n,gamma) reaction and multiple purifications were used to obtain relative intensities of weak transitions. Liquid scintillation counting (absolute disintegration rates) and gamma-ray spectroscopy with HPGe detectors yielded absolute photon intensities. Absolute intensities in % (with statistical uncertainties) of prominent radiations (L and K X-rays; 29, 86, and 459 keV gamma-rays) are 8.23(8), 1.32(10), 2.17(1), 1.843(2), and 0.989(2), respectively. These intensities are more precise and approximately 30% lower than previous results.
Models, Chemical , Thorium/analysis , Thorium/chemistry , Computer Simulation , Half-Life , Photons , Radiation Dosage , Radiometry
A systematic study of thermal silver ion exchange used for the fabrication of optical channel waveguides is reported in a single-alkali glass. The diffusion equilibrium and diffusion dynamics are experimentally studied, and the concentration-dependent diffusion coefficients are determined. The relationship between the fabrication conditions, i.e., time, temperature, and melt concentration, and the induced waveguide refractive index profile is established. It is demonstrated that the diffusion equation can be solved, without use of any free parameters, to predict the refractive index profiles of both planar and channel waveguides. A 1.6 cm diameter integrated optic ring resonator, with a propagation loss of 0.1 dB/cm, is fabricated in a glass by thermal silver ion exchange. The induced refractive index profile is related to the optical characteristics of the functional device.
