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Updated: May 24, 2026

Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh
Published on: May 3, 2019
High-resolution alpha-particle spectrometry of the 230U decay series
1European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Retieseweg 111, B-2440 Geel, Belgium.
Abstract:
High-resolution alpha-particle spectrometry was performed on the (230)U decay series. A (230)U source was prepared on a stainless steel disc by electrodeposition in an ammonium nitrate solution. Spectrometry of the alpha-particle energy spectrum was performed with ion-implanted planar silicon detectors in vacuum. A set of alpha emission probabilities is presented for (230)U and (226)Th. The measured peak intensities were corrected mathematically for coincidental detection of alpha-particles and conversion electrons emitted in the same decay. A good agreement with literature data was observed. The uncertainty budget and the correlation matrix are presented. The validity of the alpha-particle energies was tested and could be confirmed for most peaks within a few keV, but discrepancies were found for the 2nd peak of (226)Th and the main peak of (218)Rn.
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Types of Radioactivity
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay: