title: Improved peak shape fitting in alpha spectra.
abstract: Peak overlap is a recurrent issue in alpha-particle spectrometry, not only in routine analyses but also in the high-resolution spectra from which reference values for alpha emission probabilities are derived. In this work, improved peak shape formulae are presented for the deconvolution of alpha-particle spectra. They have been implemented as fit functions in a spreadsheet application and optimum fit parameters were searched with built-in optimisation routines. Deconvolution results are shown for a few challenging spectra with high statistical precision. The algorithm outperforms the best available routines for high-resolution spectrometry, which may facilitate a more reliable determination of alpha emission probabilities in the future. It is also applicable to alpha spectra with inferior energy resolution.
authors.affiliation: European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Retieseweg 111, B-2440 Geel, Belgium. Electronic address: stefaan.pomme@ec.europa.eu.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pommé
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Metrología de Radiaciones Ionizantes, CIEMAT, Avenida Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Caro Marroyo
keywords: Alpha-emission probabilities; Alpha-particle spectrometry; Deconvolution; Least-squares fitting; Maximum likelihood; Spectral interference