title: A very low-background gamma-ray counting facility in the Baradello underground laboratory.
abstract: An underground station for the measurement of low-level radioactivity is in operation in Northern Italy in the town of Como under the Baradello hill. The rock cover is -300 m water equivalent. This paper reports about the preliminary measurements carried out to characterise the site of the Baradello hill and the installation of a high-purity Ge detector with a radio-pure copper shielding. Features and levels of the achieved background are reported and discussed, in comparison with other above ground and underground low-radioactivity stations. Sensitivities to radioactivity in typical environmental matrices are evaluated, confirming the very low-gamma background attained in the laboratory.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica e Matematica, Università dell'Insubria, via Valleggio 11, 22100 Como, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pellicciari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fascilla
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giuliani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pedretti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cesana
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garlati
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terrani
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Raselli
mesh_terms: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D001417:Background Radiation; D005720:Gamma Rays; D007558:Italy; D007753:Laboratories; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D011835:Radiation Protection; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D011886:Radon