title: A new versatile underground gamma-ray spectrometry system.
abstract: The newest development in IRMM's underground analytical facility is a large lead shield lined with copper that is versatile and can host several detectors of different types. The characteristics and the background performance of the shield are described for four different detector configurations involving HPGe-detectors and NaI-detectors. The shield has been designed to swap detectors, while still maintaining a low background. This enables testing of detectors for other experiments and optimisation of detection limits for specific radionuclides in different projects.
authors.affiliation: European Commission, DG JRC, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM), Retieseweg 111, 2440 Geel, Belgium. guillaume.lutter@ec.europa.eu
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lutter
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hult
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marissens
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andreotti
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Rosengård
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Misiaszek
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yüksel
authors.forename: Namik
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sahin
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D011874:Radiometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013051:Spectrometry, Gamma / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes
keywords: Compton suppression; HPGe-detector; Low-level gamma-ray spectrometry; Shielding; Underground laboratory