Calculation of HPGe efficiency for environmental samples: comparison of EFFTRAN and GEANT4

abstract Determination of full energy peak efficiency is one of the most important tasks that have to beperformed before gamma spectrometry of environmental samples. Many methods, including measure-ment of specific reference materials, Monte Carlo simulations, efficiency transfer and semi empiricalcalculations, were developed in order to complete this task.Monte Carlo simulation, based on GEANT4 simulation package and EFFTRAN efficiency transfersoftware are applied for the efficiencycalibration of three detectors, readily used in the Environment andRadiation Protection Laboratory of Institute for Nuclear Sciences Vinca, for measurement of environ-mental samples. Efficiencies were calculated for water, soil and aerosol samples. The aim of this paper isto perform efficiency calculations for HPGe detectors using both GEANT4 simulation and EFFTRANefficiency transfer software and to compare obtained results with the experimental results. Thiscomparison should show how the two methods agree with experimentally obtained efficiencies ofour measurement system and in which part of the spectrum do the discrepancies appear. The detailedknowledge of accuracy and precision of both methods should enable us to choose an appropriatemethod for each situation that is presented in our and other laboratories on a daily basis.& 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.