Work

Behaviour of 241Am on environmental surfaces and the detection of the radioluminescence signal

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In a radiologic emergency, a large environmental area might be contaminated by radionuclides. To locate alpha emitters remotely, the project RemoteALPHA developed an optical detection system, able to measure radioluminescence photons. In this study, we chose 241 Am-doped ivy leaves, pine needles and concrete as examples representing contaminations in natural and urban areas, respectively. Measurement data was compared to the applied activity. Particularly the concrete samples showed an unexpected behaviour, because the number of photons did not rise linearly with increasing activity. We explained these apparent inconsistencies by modelling and experimentally confirming energy loss and self-shielding effects in concrete.

Source: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry

DOI: 10.1007/s10967-025-10468-6

Authors: Annika Klose, Maksym Luchkov, David Ohm, Faton S. Krasniqi, Clemens Walther

Institutions: Leibniz University Hannover, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt

Language: English

Topic: Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies

Subfield: Radiation

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,790

Funders: European Commission, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research