Published June 2014 | Version v1
Journal article

Analysis of photon interaction parameters as function of soil composition

  • 1. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China). Institute of High Energy Physics
  • 2. Nuclear Research Centre, Cairo (Egypt). Experimental Nuclear Physics Department
  • 3. State University of Ponta Grossa, UEPG, Ponta Grossa, PR (Brazil). Laboratory of Soil Physics and Environmental Sciences, Department of Physics
  • 4. Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, CENA, Piracicaba, SP (Brazil)

Description

In the present work the total mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) for some soils collected from the Southeast and South of Brazil were measured at 59.5 (241Am) and 661.6 keV (137Cs) photon energies. The experimental values of the soils μ/ρ were compared with XCOM program calculations and GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations. Total atomic and electronic cross-sections, effective atomic and electron numbers of all soil samples were calculated in a wide energy range (1 keV-100 GeV). The values of these parameters have been found to vary with photon energy and chemical composition of the soil. The variations of these parameters with energy are shown graphically for total photon interactions. The results showed that loamy soils have low photon attenuation parameters than clayey ones for the region of 59.5 keV. (author)

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
Journal Volume
300
Journal Issue
3
Journal Page Range
p. 1105-1112
ISSN
0236-5731
CODEN
JRNCDM

Optional Information

Notes
27 refs.