Software for X- and gamma-ray spectrometry

A computational approach to the true-coincidence summing correction factor evaluating was developed on the basis of the extended version of the MCNP - a general Monte Carlo N-particle transport code. A specially developed utility program generates the MCNP input on the basis of a routinely updated Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File (ENSDF) library. Necessary information is automatically added to allow accurate simulating of the emission of correlated particles accompanying the decay of a particular radionuclide, including emission of annihilation quanta, K- and L- X-rays, β-particles and conversion electrons. Gamma-ray angular correlations as well as lifetimes of the nuclear excited states are also taken into account. The approach is applicable to correction factor evaluation for ordinary single- and multi-detector spectrometers as well as for Compton suppression systems. The paper describes the developed computational scheme as well as presents the results of its preliminary testing for the case of both point and volumetric sources.