Isotope identification capabilities using time resolved prompt gamma emission from epithermal neutrons

Abstract

We present a concept of integrated measurements for isotope identification which takes advantage of the time structure of spallation neutron sources for time resolved gamma spectroscopy. 
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\nTime resolved Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (T-PGAA) consists in the measurement of gamma energy spectrum induced by the radioactive capture as a function of incident neutron Time Of Flight (TOF), directly related with the energy of incident neutrons. The potential of the proposed concept was explored on INES (Italian Neutron Experimental Station) at the ISIS spallation neutron source (U.K.). Through this new technique we show an increase in the sensitivity to specific elements of archaeometric relevance, through incident neutron energy selection in prompt gamma spectra for multicomponent samples. Results on a standard bronze sample are presented.