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Nuclear Physics Lab 2024 - ٠٧١٨٤٩
Nuclear Physics Lab 2024 - ٠٧١٨٤٩
Nuclear Physics Lab 2024 - ٠٧١٨٤٩
P311
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
PHYSICS DEPARTMENT
pg. 0
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
الر ِح ِيم
الرحْ َم ِن ه
َّللا ه
س ِم ه ِ ِب ْ
جات " (المجادلة)11: ِين أُوتُوا ا ْل ِع ْل َم د ََر َ
ِين آ َمنُوا ِم ْن ُك ْم َوالهذ َ " يَ ْرفَ ِع ه
َّللاُ الهذ َ
ق " (فصلت)53 / س ِه ْم َحتهى يَتَبَيه َن لَ ُه ْم أَنههُ ا ْل َح ُّ
اق َوفِي أ َ ْنفُ ِ
يه ْم آيَاتِنَا فِي ْاْلفَ ِ
سنُ ِر ِ
" َ
pg. 1
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
N Experiment
1 Operating characteristics of Gieger-Muller counter.
4 Gamma Absorption.
5 Beta Absorption.
6 Statistics of Radiology.
pg. 2
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
pg. 3
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Introduction
Our problem was appeared and discovered by the discovery of nuclear radiation by
two scientists: Henri Becquerel and Marie Curie.
Henri Becquerel -accidently- discovered radioactivity in 1896 when he left a uranium
salt in a desk drawer (no light inside) on a photographic plate wrapped in black paper.
An invisible penetrating radiation was registered on the photographic plate. So, he
hypothesized that the uranium salt spontaneously emits some type of energetic
radiation (Radioactivity). This discovery led to the development of the field of nuclear
physics.
Marie Curie, along with her husband Pierre Curie, continued the work of Becquerel
and discovered two new radioactive elements, polonium, and radium.
pg. 4
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
• Beta particles
• Neutrons
• X-rays
• Gamma rays
pg. 5
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Alpha particles
An alpha particle is a type of ionizing radiation consisting of two protons and two
neutrons, essentially a helium-4 nucleus. It is relatively large and carries a positive
electrical charge.
𝑨 𝑨−𝟐
𝒁𝑿 → 𝒁−𝟐𝑿 + 𝟐𝟐𝑯𝒆(𝜶)
Beta particles
Beta particles are another form of particle radiation (electron or positron). Being
lighter than alpha particles, beta particles can travel a greater distance. Nucleus decay
beta particles when a neutron converts into a proton (negative electron) or when a
proton converts into a neutron (positron)
𝑛 → 𝑝 + 𝑒− + 𝑣
𝑝 → 𝑛 + 𝑒+ + 𝑣
Neutrons
Neutron particle emission refers to the release of free neutrons from the nucleus of an
atom. This emission can occur through various nuclear reactions, such as nuclear
fission.
pg. 6
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Radioactivity Units
Becquerel (Bq): The Becquerel is the (SI) unit of radioactivity. It represents the
number of disintegrations per second.
𝑑𝑖𝑠
1 𝐵𝑞 = 1
𝑠𝑒𝑐
Curie (Ci): The Curie is a non-SI unit of radioactivity. It is equal to 3.7 × 1010
disintegrations per second.
1𝐶𝑖 = 3.7 × 1010 𝐵𝑞
Rutherford (Rd): The Rutherford is another non-SI unit of radioactivity. It is equal to
one million radioactive disintegrations per second.
1 𝑅𝑑 = 1010 𝐵𝑞
pg. 7
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
1. Radiation Counter
2. Radiation spectrometer
3. Dosimeter
pg. 8
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
From the used sensitive material perspective, the radiation detectors classified as:
• Gas-filled detectors
• Scintillation detectors
• Solid-state detectors
pg. 9
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pg. 10
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
It consists of a hollow metal cylindrical tube enclosed in a thin glass tube. This
hollow metal tube acts as a cathode.
A fine tungsten wire is stretched along the axis of the tube and is insulated by ebonite
plugs. This fine tungsten wire acts as anode.
The tube is evacuated and then partially filled with a mixture of 90% argon (as an inert
gas) at 10 cm pressure and 10% ethyl alcohol vapors at 1cm pressure.
The fine tungsten wire is connected to positive terminal of a high-tension battery
through a resistance R and the negative terminal is connected to the metal tube.
The direct current voltage is kept slightly less than that which will cause a discharge
between the electrodes.
At one end of the tube a thin window of mica is arranged to allow the entry of
radiation into the tube.
pg. 11
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
The working mechanism of a Geiger counter relies on the ionization of gas atoms or
molecules by incoming ionizing radiation. When radiation enters the tube through the
window, it ionizes the gas, creating free electrons and positively charged ions. The
strong applied electric field accelerates the free electrons towards the anode, causing
further ionization (secondary electrons and positive ions) due to secondary collisions
caused by the produced primary electrons and creating an avalanche of ionization
events.
This avalanche generates a detectable electrical pulse, The current through R produces
a voltage pulse of the order of 10μV. An electron pulse amplifier accepts the small
pulse voltage and amplifies them to about 5 to 50 V. The amplified output is then
applied to a counter. As each incoming particle produces a pulse, the number of
incoming particles can be counted.
In a GM tube, after the ionization caused by incident radiation triggers a discharge, it
is essential to ensure that the ionization stops once the discharge is detected and
counted. If the discharge were to continue indefinitely, it would prevent accurate
measurement of individual radiation events and could damage the detector.
Quenching is the process by which the discharge in a GM tube is rapidly stopped or
"quenched" after each event, allowing the tube to reset and be ready to detect
subsequent radiation events.
The quenching gas (ethyl alcohol) present in the tube helps to quickly extinguish the
ionization process after each avalanche, ensuring that the detector is ready for
subsequent radiation events.
pg. 12
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Advantages of GM Counter
• It can count alpha, beta, gamma particles as well as cosmic rays.
• It has high sensitivity.
• Power supply need not be precisely regulated as the pulse height is constant
over a large range.
• Because of the fact that output pulse is very high, so the Amplification needed
is also very subtle.
Disadvantages of GM Counter
• Energies cannot be measured by it as it has a lack of differentiating abilities.
• It cannot detect uncharged particles like Neutrons.
• It is less efficient due to the large dead time.
• Quenching agent used in this counter often decomposes, leading to less lifetime
of the GM Counter.
pg. 13
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Experiment Aims:
1. Plotting the characteristic curve of the GM counter.
2. Determining the starting voltage (𝑉𝑠 ).
Determining the threshold and breakdown voltage (𝑉𝑡ℎ , 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑉𝑏𝑑 ).
Determining the plateau region (𝑉𝑡ℎ − 𝑉𝑏𝑑 ).
Determining the operating voltage of GM counter.
3. Calculation of the percentage gradient of the GM detector.
Theory:
Plateau graph of Geiger Muller counter
The Characteristic curve typically shows the relationship between the voltage applied
to the GM tube and the number of counts registered by the counter. It demonstrates the
behavior of the counter over a range of operating voltages.
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NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Starting voltage (Vs): It is the minimum voltage applied the detector make it operate.
If the applied voltage is increased further, then a point will be reached called
threshold voltage (𝑽𝒕𝒉 ) after which the count rate remains constant over a certain
region. This region is known as plateau region or Geiger region. This region is used
for Geiger Muller operation. If the applied electric field is increased so high, then a
point will be reached called Breakdown Voltage (𝑽𝑩𝑫 ) after which a continuous
discharge takes place in the tube and the count rate increases very rapidly.
Plateau length (or operating plateau region): The range voltage corresponding to the
flat part of the characteristic curve.
Plateau Length = (𝑽𝑩𝒅 − 𝑽𝑻𝒉 )
Operating voltage (or working voltage) (V0): It is the voltage corresponding to the
midpoint of the plateau region.
(𝑽𝑩𝒅 − 𝑽𝑻𝒉 )
𝑶𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 (𝑽𝒐 ) =
𝟐
Percentage Gradient: It is the percentage change in counting rate per volt through the
plateau region.
(𝑵𝑩𝒅 − 𝑵𝑻𝒉 )
𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 = × 𝟏𝟎𝟎%
𝑵𝒐 (𝑽𝑩𝒅 − 𝑽𝑻𝒉 )
pg. 15
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Apparatus:
• Source of radiation.
• Geiger detector.
• HV power supply.
• long-handled tongs
Procedure:
V (voltage) N (C/min)
pg. 16
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Theory:
Dead time refers to the time taken by the tube to recover between counts. It requires
about 200 μs for the tube to recover.
After a count has been recorded, the G-M takes tube takes a certain amount of time to
reset itself to be ready to record the next count. The resolving time or "dead time", T,
of a detector is the time it takes for the detector to "reset" itself. Since the detector is
"not operating" while it is being reset, the measured activity is not the true activity of
the sample. If the counting rate is high, then the effect of dead time is very important
and some particles may not be counted.
We will discuss how to correct for dead time, and then discuss how one can measure
what it is.
𝒏
• the ratio is equal to:
𝑵
𝐶⁄
𝑛 𝑡𝑟 𝑡𝑙
= =
𝑁 𝐶⁄ 𝑡𝑟
𝑡𝑙
pg. 17
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
This means that the fraction of the counts that we record is the ratio of the "live time"
to the "real time". This ratio is the fraction of the time that the detector is able to
record counts.
• The relationship between the real time, live time, and dead time. To a good
approximation, the live time is equal to the real time minus C times the dead
time T:
𝒕𝒍 = 𝒕𝒓 − 𝑪𝑻
This is true since CT is the total time that the detector is unable to record counts
during the counting time tr.
• Dividing the last equation by 𝑡𝑟 , we get
𝒕𝒍 𝑪𝑻
=𝟏− = 𝟏 − 𝒏𝑻
𝒕𝒓 𝒕𝒓
• From the first equation, we see that the left side is equal to
𝒏
= 𝟏 − 𝒏𝑻
𝑵
• Solving for N, we obtain the equation:
𝒏
𝑵=
𝟏 − 𝒏𝑻
This is the equation we need to determine the true counting rate from the measured
one.
Notice that N is always larger than n. Also note that the product (nT) is the key
parameter in determining by how much the true counting rate increases from the
measured counting rate.
• For small values of nT, the product nT (unitless) is the fractional increase that N
is of n. For values of nT < 0.01 dead time is not important and are less than a
1% effect.
• Dead time changes the measured value for the counting rate by 5% when nT =
0.05.
The product nT is small when either the counting rate n is small, or the dead time T is
small.
pg. 18
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
The resolving time for a G‐M tube can be determined by using a set of split sources of
radiation, as shown Figure:
First, we determine the counting rate with one half alone, call this counting rate 𝒏𝟏 .
Then we add the second half next to the first one and determine the counting rate with
both sources together. Call this counting rate 𝒏𝟏𝟐 . Finally, we take away the first half
and measure the counting rate with the second half alone. We call this counting
rate 𝒏𝟐 .
You might think that the measured counting times 𝒏𝟏𝟐 should equal 𝒏𝟏 plus 𝒏𝟐 . If
there were no dead time this would be true. However, with dead time, 𝒏𝟏𝟐 is less than
the sum of 𝒏𝟏 +𝒏𝟐 . This is because with both sources present the detector is "dead"
more often than when the sources are being counted alone.
since these are the counting rates corrected for dead time. Substituting the expressions
for the measured counting times into the above equation gives:
𝑛12 𝑛1 𝑛2
= +
𝟏 − 𝑛12 𝑻 𝟏 − 𝑛1 𝑻 𝟏 − 𝑛2 𝑻
In our laboratory we will measure 𝑛1 , 𝑛2 , and 𝑛12 and used the formula above to
get an approximate value for the dead time of the Geiger counter. It is difficult to get
a precise value for T. one needs to be very careful that the positions of source 1 and 2
with respect to the detector alone is the same as the positions of these sources when
pg. 19
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
they are measured together. Also, since 𝑛12 is not much smaller than 𝒏𝟏 + 𝒏𝟐 , one
needs to measure all three quantities very accurately. For this one needs many counts,
since the relative statistical error equals for the three quantities. For sufficient accuracy
one needs to use an active source for a long time.
The values that we usually obtain in our experiments range from 100 to 500 𝜇sec.
Apparatus:
Procedure:
pg. 20
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Theory:
Inverse Square law of radioactive point sources states that the radiation Intensity is
inversely proportional to the square of the distance.
1
𝐼∝
𝑑2
pg. 21
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
This law is based on the principle that radiation spreads out evenly in all
directions from its point source, forming spherical wavefronts. As the
distance from the source increases, the same amount of radiation is spread
over a larger surface area, resulting in a decrease in intensity .
Apparatus
• G-Mcounter
• HV power supply
• A source of radiation with source holder
• long-handled tongs
pg. 22
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Procedure:
d(cm) 𝟏⁄ (𝒄𝒎−𝟐 ) 𝑵𝒎 𝑵 = 𝑵𝒎 − 𝑵𝑩 𝑵
𝒅𝟐 𝐦=
𝟏 − 𝐍𝝉
pg. 23
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Experiment Aims:
• To estimate the linear and mass absorption coefficient (𝜇 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝛼) of some types
of material
• To determine the half value thickness (HVT)
Theory:
Gamma and x-rays are attenuated exponentially when they pass through materials due
to interactions with matter.
The intensity variation (dI) of a monoenergetic gamma ray beam passing through a
material of thickness x (cm) is described by the expression:
𝒅𝑰
− = 𝝁𝑰
𝒅𝑿
where µ is the linear attenuation coefficient and It is defined as the fraction of the
incident intensity that is absorbed or scattered per unit path length and is dependent
upon the proton (Z) number of the attenuating material, the material density and the
photon energy.
pg. 24
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
By solving this differential equation, the intensity as a function of the length traversed
I(x) can be obtained:
𝑰 𝒙
𝒅𝑰
∫ = −𝝁 ∫ 𝒅𝒙
𝑰𝒐 𝑰 𝟎
There is another coefficient called the mass attenuation coefficient (𝛼) of radiation
refers to the rate at which rays are absorbed or attenuated per unit mass of a material.
𝝁
𝜶=
𝝆
Half Value Thickness (HVT) expresses the thickness of absorbing material which is
needed to reduce the incident radiation intensity by a factor of two. This concept is
very important and widely used in shielding.
𝑰𝒐
= 𝑰𝒐 𝒆−𝝁𝒙𝟏⁄𝟐
𝟐
𝟏
𝐥𝐧 = −𝝁𝒙𝟏⁄𝟐
𝟐
𝟎. 𝟔𝟗𝟑
𝒙𝟏⁄ =
𝟐 𝝁
pg. 25
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Attenuation Mechanisms
Figure shows the probability of the three dominant interaction processes in matter as a
function of photon energy, the decrease of the probability of photoelectric effect when
the energy increases, the dominance of Compton scattering at medium energies and
the dominance of pair production at higher photon energies.
pg. 26
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Apparatus
• G-Mcounter
• HV power supply
• A source of γ radiation with source holder
• long-handled tongs
• Vernier caliper
Procedure:
• Slope = −𝜇
𝝁
• 𝜶=
𝝆
𝟎.𝟔𝟗𝟑
• 𝒙𝟏⁄ =
𝟐 𝝁
pg. 27
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Experiment Aims:
• To estimate the linear and mass absorption coefficient (𝜇 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝛼) of some types
of material
• To determine the range of beta radiation inside the used materials.
Theory:
Beta radiation is attenuated exponentially when they pass through materials due to
interactions with matter.
The intensity variation (dI) of beta radiation passing through a material of thickness x
(cm) is described by the expression:
𝒅𝑰
− = 𝝁𝑰
𝒅𝑿
where µ is the linear attenuation coefficient and It is defined as the fraction of the
incident intensity that is absorbed or scattered per unit path length and is dependent
upon the proton (Z) number of the attenuating material, the material density and the
photon energy.
pg. 28
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
By solving this differential equation, the intensity as a function of the length traversed
I(x) can be obtained:
𝑰 𝒙
𝒅𝑰
∫ = −𝝁 ∫ 𝒅𝒙
𝑰𝒐 𝑰 𝟎
There is another coefficient called the mass attenuation coefficient (𝛼) of radiation
refers to the rate at which rays are absorbed or attenuated per unit mass of a material.
𝝁
𝜶=
𝝆
Half Value Thickness (HVT) expresses the thickness of absorbing material which is
needed to reduce the incident radiation intensity by a factor of two. This concept is
very important and widely used in shielding.
𝟎. 𝟔𝟗𝟑
𝒙𝟏⁄ =
𝟐 𝝁
Range of beta radiation (R or 𝒙𝒐 ) is the thickness of material required to absorb the
beta particles energy completely.
pg. 29
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Apparatus
• G-Mcounter
• HV power supply
• A source of beta radiation with source holder
• long-handled tongs
• Vernier caliper
Procedure:
pg. 30
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
• Slope = −𝜇
𝝁
• 𝜶=
𝝆
• 𝒙𝒐 𝒐𝒓 𝑹 = ⋯ 𝒄𝒎
pg. 31
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Experiment Aims:
To investigate the counting statistics in a fixed time interval from a radioactive source:
1. The mean value of measurement (𝑥̅ )
2. Absolute deviation (Δ 𝑥𝑖 )
3. Standard deviation (s)
4. Variance (a = 𝑠 2 )
5. The coefficient of variance (CV)
Introduction:
Theory:
When measuring a physical quantity, we can not measure the physical magnitude
exactly due to systematic errors and random errors.
Systematic errors are errors that occur consistently in the same direction and
magnitude every time a measurement is made. These errors are caused by flaws in the
measurement equipment or in the experimental design.
For example, if a scale is consistently miscalibrated by a certain amount, then every
measurement made on that scale will be consistently off by that same amount.
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Random errors are errors that occur randomly and unpredictably in both direction and
magnitude every time a measurement is made. These errors can be caused by a variety
of factors, such as environmental fluctuations, human error in reading instruments, or
simply the limitations of the measurement equipment.
A good example of "random error" is the statistical error associated with sampling or
counting. For example, consider radioactive decay which occurs randomly at a some
(average) rate. If a sample has, on average, 1000 radioactive decays per second then
the expected number of decays in 5 seconds would be 5000. A particular measurement
in a 5 second interval will, of course, vary from this average but it will generally yield
a value within 5000 +/-. Behavior like this, where the error can be determined as
following,
n = nexp ected
is called a Poisson statistical process. Typically, if one does not know nexp ected it is
assumed that,
nmeasured = nexpected
Calculation of Errors
pg. 33
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2. Deviation
Deviation is important In statistics because it helps to identify outliers, or data points
that are far from the mean or median. Outliers can affect the accuracy of statistical
analyses and may need to be removed or treated separately.
There are different types of deviation measures used in statistics, including:
(i) Absolute deviation
The absolute deviation is a measure of the average distance between each data point
and the mean of the data set .
Δ 𝑥𝑖 = 𝑥𝑖 – 𝑥̅
∑𝑛𝑖=1(𝑥𝑖 − 𝑥̅ )2 ∑𝑛𝑖=1 (Δ 𝑥𝑖 )2
𝑆=√ = √
𝑛−1 𝑛−1
Where s is the sample standard deviation, x Is the data point, x̄ Is the sample mean,
and n is the sample size.
Standard deviation is useful because it provides a measure of how spread out the data
is. A small standard deviation Indicates that the data points are clustered closely
around the mean, while a large standard deviation indicates that the data points are
more spread out.
pg. 34
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
3. Variance
Variance is a statistical measure that is as the standard deviation describes how spread
out a set of data Is. It measures the degree of deviation of a set of values from Its mean
or expected value. In other words, variance measures the average squared distance of
each value from the mean.
The formula for variance is:
∑𝑛𝑖=1(𝑥𝑖 − 𝑥̅ )2 ∑𝑛𝑖=1(Δ 𝑥𝑖 )2
2
𝑎=𝑠 = =
𝑛−1 𝑛−1
.
A high variance indicates that the data points are spread out over a larger range of
values, while a low variance indicates that the data points are clustered around the
mean.
4. The coefficient of variance (CV)
coefficient of variance is a statistical measure that expresses the standard deviation of
a set of data as a percentage of the measurement mean value. It is also a relative
measure of dispersion used to compare the variability of different sets of data that
have different scales or units of measurement .
The formula for the coefficient of variance is:
𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑠
𝐶𝑉 = ∗ 100% = × 100%
𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑥̅
A high coefficient of variance indicates that the data points are widely spread out
relative to the mean, while a low coefficient of variance Indicates that the data points
are tightly clustered around the mean.
It Is important to note that the coefficient of variance is only meaningful when the
mean of the data set is non-zero. If the mean Is zero or close to zero, the coefficient of
variance may become undefined or misleading.
pg. 35
NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB
Apparatus:
• Source of radiation.
• Geiger detector.
• HV power supply.
• long-handled tongs
Procedure:
(𝚫 𝒎𝒊 )𝟐
2
𝑛
𝑖=1
∑𝑛
3
̅ =
𝑖=1
4
𝑛
𝒎
…
n
pg. 36