The prompt and in-situ assessment of non-gamma ray emitting radionuclides such as Sr-90 remains an outstanding challenge, particularly in radiological emergency response and consequence management situations. We have developed a new concept to quantitatively assess a wide range of radionuclides, including beta-only emitters, using coplanar-grid CdZnTe detectors that provide depth-of-interaction sensing. By combining measurements with and without an electron absorber, we demonstrate the feasibility of detecting and identifying Sr-90 and other radionuclides with a sensitivity of about 1 μCi/m2 or 3.7x104 Bq/m2, which is 10\% of the Derived Response Level, in less than 60 minutes. The new compact instrument can be used in the field or mobile laboratories to quickly assess a wide range of samples with sufficient sensitivity and specificity to provide critical guidance in the response after radiological incidents.
@article{arxiv.2304.07632,
title = {In-situ quantification of gamma-ray and beta-only emitting radionuclides},
author = {Kai Vetter and Donald Gunter and Paul Luke and Victor Negut and Ryan Pavlovsky and Brian Plimley and Joanna Szornel},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2304.07632},
year = {2023}
}