Alpha spectroscopy backgrounds at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: technical equivalency for backgrounds with blank plates versus backgrounds with no plates

Alpha spectroscopy chamber backgrounds are routinely measured using blank plates. Operator time spent moving blank plates in and out of chambers is significant. If chamber backgrounds are measured in empty chambers, time spent moving blank plates can be reclaimed for other uses. This study compares results of chamber backgrounds measured with and without plates. Five hundred fourteen chamber backgrounds measured with plates are paired with 514 chamber backgrounds measured without plates. The total counts within 13 spectral regions of interest are compared statistically. Chamber backgrounds measured without blank plates are found statistically equivalent to chamber backgrounds measured with blank plates.