Absolute velocity-sense determination in Moessbauer spectrometry

A method for determining absolutely the velocity sense of a Mössbauer spectrum taken in the multiscaler mode is described. It is shown that relative motion of the Mössbauer source with respect to the absorber naturally leads to a parabolic profile of the absorption spectrum. This parabola is used to determine the sense of the different sections of the spectrum uniquely without reference to a standard asymmetric Mössbauer spectrum.