Preparation for sample measurement

Abstract

The transition from radiochemical separation described in Chapter 6 to instrumental radiation detection in Chapter 8 is source preparation for counting. The analyst wants to prepare a source that represents the radionuclide in the collected sample, can be measured reliably by its radiation, and is stable. The analyst selects a detector that is sensitive to the radiation that characterizes the radionuclide, stable as defined by its QA program, and calibrated for efficiency and-if needed-energy. Source preparation concerns are addressed here for the four types of detectors that are described in Chapters 2 and 8, but these considerations can apply to sources prepared for measurement by other detectors. © 2007 Springer.