Total-to-peak ratios of high purity germanium gamma ray detector

Abstract

This study is concerned with the percentage of [gamma]-rays of a certain energy having their energy correctly measured by a high purity Germanium [gamma]-ray detector. The ratio between the total counts and the counts within the energy peak (total-to-peak ratio) is determined for seven energies ranging from 89 keV to 1275 keV. A Monte Carlo based on the physical parameters of the detector was used to extrapolate between these points and after an energy independent scaling factor fit the data with a reduced [chi]² slightly below 1. The same experiment was repeated with a lead brick and then a β detector near the Ge detector and these objects were found to not have an effect on the total-to-peak ratios within the precision of the experiment.