Simulations of an in situ method for measuring radionuclide depth distributions

In comparison to laboratory gamma-ray spectroscopy, in situ gamma-ray spectrometry characterizes a much larger volume of material, requires much less time to determine accurate radionuclide concentrations, and minimizes worker dose and the risk of radioactive contamination. However, the main limitation of in situ gamma-ray spectrometry lies in determining the depth distribution of radionuclides. This limitation is addressed by developing an improved method for the in situ determination of radionuclide depth distributions. Whereas previous in situ methods require a priori knowledge of the depth distribution or multiple X-ray/gamma-ray emitting radionuclides, the presented method is absolute and does not rely on such assumptions