Subtraction of random coincidences in γ-ray spectroscopy: A new approach

A new analytical method for estimation and subsequent subtraction of random coincidences has been developed. It utilizes the knowledge of the counts in the main diagonal of a background-subtracted symmetric data set for the estimation of the events originating from random coincidences. This procedure has been successfully applied to several data sets. It could be a valuable tool for low-fold data sets, especially for low-cross-section events.