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Study of the mass attenuation coefficients and effective atomic numbers in some gemstones

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Abstract

The total mass attenuation coefficients for natural beryl, corundum, garnet, pearl, and tourmaline gemstones were measured at 81, 356.5, 661.6, 1173.2, and 1332.5 keV photon energies. The samples were irradiated with 133Ba, 137Cs and 60Co radioactive point sources using gamma ray transmission method. Total atomic and electronic cross-sections, effective atomic numbers and electron densities were determined experimentally and theoretically. The experimental values were compared with the calculated values for all samples. The calculations were extended for total photon interactions in a wide energy range (1 keV–100 GeV) using WinXCom program of the most commonly irradiated gemstones with different sources of ionized radiation. The values of these parameters have been found to vary with photon energy and chemical composition of the gemstones. All variations of these parameters against energy are shown graphically for total photon interactions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Experimental Nuclear Physics Department, Nuclear Research Centre, P.O. Box 13759, Cairo, Egypt

    M. E. Medhat

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  1. M. E. Medhat
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Correspondence to M. E. Medhat.

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Medhat, M.E. Study of the mass attenuation coefficients and effective atomic numbers in some gemstones. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 293, 555–564 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-012-1794-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-012-1794-y

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