Alpha/beta-gated gamma-gamma spectroscopy of mixed fission products for trace analysis

Dissolved fission product samples were analyzed using advanced radio-emission spectroscopy techniques using a proof-of-concept instrument. Reduction factors of 2–7 in the minimum detectable activity relative to traditional gamma counting were observed for trace fission products and actinides. A gamma-gamma coincidence detector was combined with a custom liquid scintillation counter to evaluate the benefits of alpha and beta coincident and anti-coincident analysis. The improvements observed in the detection sensitivity of fission products and actinides achieved by combining time-correlated radiation signatures is of value to applications such as nuclear physics, environmental monitoring, reactor releases, and nuclear forensics. (author)