Prompt gamma activation analysis for determining the elemental composition of archaeological ceramics

Appl Radiat Isot. 2022 Feb 19;183:110152. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110152. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe first experiments were carried out to study the elemental composition of archaeological ceramics using prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA) at the pulsed reactor IBR-2, Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics (FLNP) - Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR). A radiation-resistant n-type High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector was used to measure the radioactivity. The concentrations of 14 elements were determined namely; Al, C, Ca, Fe, Gd, H, K, Mn, Na, P, S, Si, Sm, and Ti. The obtained results were compared with those analyzed by other analytical techniques INAA (Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis) and portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for the same archaeological batches. The results revealed a good agreement within a range of 1-30%. These insights will contribute to the discussion of improving the PGAA installation and automation of the data obtained, which in turn will improve the quality of analysis and increase the number of determined elements. In this work results are presented, and the analytical merits are compared.PMID:35217327 | DOI:10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110152
Source: Applied Radiation and Isotopes - Category: Radiology Authors: Source Type: research