1. General principles
1.1 Purpose of irradiation and different irradiation modes
The aim of irradiation is to create radioisotopes that can be reliably identified and precisely quantified after irradiation. These radioisotopes must therefore have a non-negligible probability of being produced from the elements to be assayed, and their lifetime must be long enough to allow their detection. To determine the totality of elements, it is necessary to use several irradiation modes. Table 1 summarizes the characteristics of those most commonly used in activation analysis. In practice, the choice will depend on the properties of the radioisotopes created in the sample from the element(s) to be assayed and the other elements present.
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
This article is included in
Analysis and Characterization
This offer includes:
Knowledge Base
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
Services
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Practical Path
Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills
Doc & Quiz
Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading
General principles
Neutron activation analysis
Bibliography
References
Manufacturers and suppliers
(non-exhaustive list)
Neutron generators
EADS SODERN http://www.sodern.fr
Measuring equipment (sensors and electronics)
Canberra Eurisys http://www.canberraeurisys.com
SEPH...
Organization
Commission interministérielle des radioéléments artificiels (CIREA)
Laboratoires
(non-exhaustive list)
Reactor neutron activation
Laboratoire Pierre-Süe (CEA-CNRS, Saclay) http://www-drecam.cea.fr/lps
Activation with charged particles
Centre d'études et de recherches par irradiation (CERI, CNRS, Orléans)
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
