Institute of Nuclear Science

School of Physics

PHYS5013 Nuclear Instruments and Radiation Detection Systems

Semester 1, 2011

Unit Description
This unit of study consists of Lectures and Experimental work. This unit is undertaken as part of the Master
of Applied Nuclear Science or the Graduate Diploma in Applied Nuclear Science.

It covers principles and operation of nuclear particle detectors, gas-filled detectors (ionisation chambers,
Geiger counter, proportional counter), scintillation detectors (organic and inorganic scintillators), solid state
detectors (Surface barrier and GeLi detectors, Pin diodes), nuclear track detectors, neutron detectors (BF3,
He-3, He-4 detectors and fission counters), nuclear data acquisition methods and data analysis (counting
statistics and error prediction).

Credit points: 6
Session: Semester 1

Lecturer

Dr. Reza Hashemi-Nezhad

reza@physics.usyd.edu.au

Lectures
Lectures will be held on Thursdays 9 am -12 noon in Physics Tutorial Room 414 (School of Physics).

Main Reference
“Radiation Detection and Measurements” by: Glenn F. Knoll published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1989 or
2000

Assessment
Assignments and written exam

Assessment 1: will be available on March 31 2011 Due date 21 April

Assessment 2: will be available on April 28 2011 Due date 19 May

The last 4 weeks of the course is dedicated to experimental work which will be carried out in the School of
Physics and/or ANSTO.

Week-by-week Lecture Schedule

Week 1 3 March 2011
1. Sources of Radiation
a. Units and Definitions
b. Electron Sources
c. Heavy Charged Particle Sources
d. Electromagnetic Radiation sources
e. Neutron Sources

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 Institute of Nuclear Science
School of Physics

2. Radiation Interactions
a. Interaction of Heavy Charged Particles
b. Interaction of fast electrons
c. Interaction of Gamma rays
d. Interaction of Neutrons

Week 2 10 March 2011

3. Counting Statistics
a. Characterization of Data
b. Statistical Models relevant to particle detection
4. General properties of Radiation Detectors
a. Pulse height spectra
b. Counting curves
c. Energy Resolution
d. Detection efficiency
e. Dead Time

Week 3 17 March 2011

5. Ionization Chambers
6. Proportional counters

Week 4 24 March 2011

7. Geiger-Mueller Counters
8. Scintillation Detector

Week 5 31 March 2011

9. Photomultiplier Tubes
10. Photodiodes

Week 6 7 April 2011

11. Semiconductor Diode Detectors
12. Germanium Gamma-Ray Detectors

Week 7 14 April 2011

13. Passive detectors
a. Nuclear Emulsion
b. Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors

Week 8 21 April 2011

14. Neutron Detection and Spectroscopy
a. Slow neutron detectors and detection methods
b. Fast neutron detectors and detection methods
c. Reactor Instrumentation

EASTER BREAK

Week 9 5 May 2011

15. Other detector types
16. Background and Detector Shielding
17. If time permits- observation and physical examination of some detectors and detection
systems (this not a replacement for the laboratory work).

Week 10 12 May 2011 Lab

Week 11 19 May 2011 Lab
Week 12 26 May 2011 Lab
Week 13 2 June 2011 Lab
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