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Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Visualization of Low-Level Gamma Radiation Sources Using a Low-Cost, High-Sensitivity, Omnidirectional Compton Camera
Published on: January 30, 2020
Environmental radionuclides as contaminants of HPGe gamma-ray spectrometers: Monte Carlo simulations for Modane
R Breier1, V B Brudanin2, P Loaiza3
1Comenius University, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, 84248 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Abstract:
The main limitation in the high-sensitive HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry has been the detector background, even for detectors placed deep underground. Environmental radionuclides such as 40K and decay products in the 238U and 232Th chains have been identified as the most important radioactive contaminants of construction parts of HPGe gamma-ray spectrometers. Monte Carlo simulations have shown that the massive inner and outer lead shields have been the main contributors to the HPGe-detector background, followed by aluminum cryostat, copper cold finger, detector holder and the lead ring with FET. The Monte Carlo simulated cosmic-ray background gamma-ray spectrum has been by about three orders of magnitude lower than the experimental spectrum measured in the Modane underground laboratory (4800 m w.e.), underlying the importance of using radiopure materials for the construction of ultra-low-level HPGe gamma-ray spectrometers.
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