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The Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety journal ISSN 1024-6177 was founded in January 1956 (before December 30, 1993 it was entitled Medical Radiology, ISSN 0025-8334). In 2018, the journal received Online ISSN: 2618-9615 and was registered as an electronic online publication in Roskomnadzor on March 29, 2018. It publishes original research articles which cover questions of radiobiology, radiation medicine, radiation safety, radiation therapy, nuclear medicine and scientific reviews. In general the journal has more than 30 headings and it is of interest for specialists working in thefields of medicine¸ radiation biology, epidemiology, medical physics and technology. Since July 01, 2008 the journal has been published by State Research Center - Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center of Federal Medical Biological Agency. The founder from 1956 to the present time is the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, and from 2008 to the present time is the Federal Medical Biological Agency.
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Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2025. Vol. 70. № 3
DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2025-70-3-108-116
D.V. Arefyeva, V.B. Firsanov, S.V. Yarmiychuk, A.V. Petushok
Application of the Monte-Carlo Method
for Calibration of a Gamma-ray Scintillation Spectrometer
Scientific Research Institute of Industrial and Marine Medicine, St. Petersburg, Russia
Contact person: D.V. Arefyeva, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: To develop a method for calibration of a gamma-ray scintillation spectrometer using the Monte Carlo method.
Material and methods: The subject of the study was a gamma-ray spectrometer designed to measure the energy distribution (spectrum) and determine the activity of gamma-emitting radionuclides. Experimental studies were carried out with a set of exemplary measures of special-purpose activity with radionuclides 241Am, 152Eu, 60Co and 137Cs uniformly deposited on an ion exchange resin. Calibration of the spectrometer was carried out using the MCC 3D program (Monte Carlo Calculations 3D), modeling of the hardware spectrum was performed using the MCA program (MultiChannel Analyzer).
Results: The comparison of experimental and simulated spectra was carried out in the following energy intervals: the interval corresponding to the total peak of total absorption (PTA) for gamma energy lines 1173.2 keV and 1332.5 keV for 60Co and PTA for gamma energy line 661.7 keV for 137Cs; intervals corresponding to Compton scattering in the angle range (30–60)°, (60–90)° and (90–180)° (for the 60Co, the average gamma radiation energy of 1252.9 keV was considered); the interval corresponding to multiple scattering with an energy above 100 keV. It was found that the largest deviation of the simulated spectrum from the experimental one is 12 % for the interval corresponding to multiple scattering, which indicates the possibility of spectrum identity. This assumption was verified for each energy interval using the Pearson consensus criterion. A maximum value of χ2 equal to 6.6 was obtained for the energy interval corresponding to Compton scattering in the angle range (60–90)°, which indicates the acceptability of the hypothesis of the identity of the experimental and simulated spectra. Validation of the proposed method showed that the discrepancy between the calculated and passport activity of the sample was no more than 13 %, which indicates the possibility of using the method for calibration of the gamma spectrometer. The dependences of the efficiency of registration in the PTA on the density of the counting sample are calculated using simulated hardware spectra of single activity.
Conclusion: The proposed method makes it possible to calibrate the spectrometer to calculate the specific activity in samples at various densities and energies using spectrometric equipment equipped with inorganic scintillation crystals.
Keywords: gamma-ray spectrometer, Monte Carlo method, calibration, radiation safety
For citation: Arefyeva DV, Firsanov VB, Yarmiychuk SV, Petushok AV. Application of the Monte-Carlo Method for Calibration of a Gamma-ray Scintillation Spectrometer. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2025;70(3):108–116. (In Russian). DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2025-70-3-108-116
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PDF (RUS) Full-text article (in Russian)
Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Financing. The study had no sponsorship.
Contribution. Article was prepared with equal participation of the authors.
Article received: 20.02.2025. Accepted for publication: 25.03.2025.