Gadolinium Concentration Measurement with an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer

Because gadolinium (Gd) has the highest thermal neutron capture cross section, resulting in an 8 MeV gamma cascade upon capture, it has been proposed for dissolution in water Cherenkov detectors to achieve efficient neutron tagging capabilities. Whereas metallic Gd is insoluble in water, several com...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Marti, Ll, Labarga Echeverría, Luis Alfonso
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:IAPH
Repositorio:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/716912
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10486/716912
https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ptep/ptae022
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Gadolinium (Gd)
thermal neutron capture
gamma cascade
water Cherenkov detectors
neutron tagging
metallic Gd
Física
Descripción
Sumario:Because gadolinium (Gd) has the highest thermal neutron capture cross section, resulting in an 8 MeV gamma cascade upon capture, it has been proposed for dissolution in water Cherenkov detectors to achieve efficient neutron tagging capabilities. Whereas metallic Gd is insoluble in water, several compounds are very easy to dissolve. Gadolinium sulfate, Gd2(SO4)3, has been thoroughly tested and proposed as the best candidate. Accurate measurement of its concentration, free of doubt from impurities in water, is crucial. An atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) is a device that suits this purpose and is widely used to measure the concentration of many elements. In this study, we describe three different approaches to measure Gd sulfate concentrations in water using an AAS: doping samples with potassium and lanthanum, and employing tantalum and tungsten platforms