UNCERTAINTIES IN PEAK AREA DETERMINATION OF A EU-152 GAMMA-SOURCE

The use of the 152Eu gamma source to calibrate Ge detectors is here underlined owing to the presence of well separated photopeaks in the 122-1408 keV energy range. Moreover it is shown that peak area determination, necessary in order to obtain a detector efficiency curve, can be carried out with satisfactory accuracy and without resorting to very elaborate methods. To prove this, two different peak integration procedures are analyzed with regard to the uncertainty in the final result. Finally it is shown that the more conventional method of using, in the efficiency calibration, many mono-energetic gamma sources does not necessarily ensure a greater accuracy whereas it is more time consuming. © 1979.