Magister Scientiae - MSc / Natural radioactivity studies have been carried out to study the textural characteristics, heavy mineral composition, provenance, sediment transport, and depositional environment of beach placer deposits. The naturally occurring radionuclides such as 232Th, 238U and 40K are used as the tracers of the mineralogical properties of beach sands, which reflect the geological characteristics such as transport and sorting processes and the depositional environment. The present work focuses on the radiometric characteristics of beach sand deposits along the west coast of South Africa. Beach sands samples were collected at the Melkbosstrand (MBS) and Ouskip (OSK) beach. The activity concentrations of these radionuclides were determined by high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector in a low-background configuration.

No description available.

L’étude des noyaux à la drip-line proton est un outil récent et puissant pour sonder la structure nucléaire loin de la vallée de stabilité. En particulier, le phénomène de radioactivité deux protons prédit théoriquement en 1960 a été découvert expérimentalement en 2002. Ce travail de thèse concerne une expérience réalisée au GANIL dans le but d’étudier la radioactivité 2pde 54Zn avec une chambre à projection temporelle, développée pour la détection individuelle de chaque proton et la reconstruction de leur trajectoire en trois dimensions. L’analyse des données a permis de déterminer les corrélations en énergie et en angle entre les deux protons.Celles-ci ont été comparées à un modèle théorique qui prend en compte la dynamique de la décroissance, permettant d’obtenir des informations sur la structure de l’émetteur. La statistique obtenue étant très faible, l’interprétation des résultats reste encore limitée mais ces résultats ouvrent de très belles perspectives sur les études futures des noyaux aux limites d’existence. / The study of nuclei at the proton drip-line is a recent and efficient tool to prove the nuclearstructure far from stability. In particular, the two proton radioactivity phenomenonpredicted in 1960 has been discovered in 2002. This PhD thesis concerns an experiment realisedat GANIL, in order to study the 2p radioactivity of 54Zn with a time projection chamber,developed for the individual detection of each proton and the reconstruction of their tracksin three dimensions. The data analysis allowed to determine the correlations in energy andangle between the two protons. They have been compared to a theoretical model, which takesinto account the dynamics of the emission, giving information about the structure of theemitter. However, due to the very low statistics, the interpretation of the results is limitedbut these results open very interesting prospects for further studies of nuclei at the limits ofthe existence.

Karl Andreas Hofmann und Eduard Strauss vom Chemischen Staatslaboratorium in München entdeckten im Jahre 1900 in Uran enthaltenden Mineralen radioaktives Blei, das von Ernest Rutherford als Zerfallsprodukt des Radium und später als Bleiisotop 210Pb identifiziert wurde. 1898 hatten Marie und Pierre Curie und 1899 Julius Elster und Friedrich Geitel in Blei, das sie aus der Pechblende abgetrennt hatten, keine Radioaktivität gefunden, da sie die Strahlung mit Hilfe der Ionisation der Luft gemessen hatten, die sehr empfindlich für α-Strahlung aber nicht für die von 210Pb und dessen Tochternuklid 210Bi emittierte β-Strahlung ist, die Hofmann und Strauss mit Hilfe von Fotoplatten gemessen hatten. / In 1900 Karl Andreas Hofmann and Eduard Strauss discovered radioactive lead in uranium containing minerals identified by Ernest Rutherford as decay product of radium, and later as lead isotope 210Pb. In 1898 Marie and Pierre Curie and in 1899 Julius Elster and Friedrich Geitel didn´t found radioactivity in lead separated from pitchblende, because they had measured the radiation by air ionization which is sensitive for α-rays but not for β-rays emitted by 210Pb and its daughter nuclide 210Bi, measured by Hofmann and Strauss with photo plates.

In dem Bericht werden Strahlungsquelle aufgeführt, die den Untergrund bei der Messung geringer Radioaktivitäten verursachen und dargestellt wie zur Unterdrückung der kosmischen Strahlung Laboratorien untertägig eingerichtet werden und wie durch Koinzidenz und Antikoinzidenzverfahren der verbleibende Untergrund weiter reduziert werden kann. / The radiation sources are described, which causes the background at the measurement of low radioactivities. To reduce the influence of cosmic rays counting devises are installed in underground laboratories. The remaining background may be further reduced by coincidence and anti-coincidence methods.

Die Rückstände des Uranbergbaus in Sachsen wurden in der Vergangenheit bewusst oder unbewusst als Baumaterial im Straßen- und Wegebau, zum Planumsausgleich für Flächen und beim Hausbau verwendet. Die Broschüre richtet sich an Planungsbüros, Antragsteller sowie Ausführende im Bau- und Straßenbau und liefert umfassende Informationen für eine strahlenschutzgerechte, sichere und kostengünstige Verwertung oder Beseitigung dieser Stoffe. Enthalten sind Hinweise zu Planung, Antragstellung, Voruntersuchung, strahlen-schutzfachlicher Baubegleitung und Dokumentation von Baumaßnahmen, bei denen mit radioaktiven Stoffen zu rechnen ist.

Tracercenter på Norrlands Universitetssjukhus producerar radiotracers. För att mäta aktiviteten hos de radioaktiva isotoperna används idag en jonkammare tillsammans med mjukvara byggt på Windows XP. Målet med det här examensarbetet är att bygga ny mjukvara som är kompatibelt med Windows 10. Mjukvaran ska tillhandahålla kalibreringsmöjligheter för isotoperna F-18, C-11 och Cs-137 samt kunna överföra uppmätt värde till datahanteringssystemet PETra.Med användandet av kodspråket Python och biblioteket TkInter har ett användargränsnitt och bakomliggande funktionskod utvecklats. Mjukvaran kommunicerar med både jonkammare och PETra seriellt via COM-Port. Linjäritetstester har gjorts för jonkammaren som påvisat god linjäritet. Detta resultat bekräftar mjukvarans tillförlitlighet med en liten felmarginal. Ytterligare tester behövs för att fastställa magnituden av felmarginalen. / Tracercenter at Norrlands University Hospital is a producer of radiotracers. To measure the activity of the radioactive isotopes an Ion Chamber combined with software built on Windows XP is used. The purpose of this thesis is to develop new software for the ion chamber compatible with Windows 10. The software has to provide a calibration function for the isotopes F-18, C-11 and Cs-137 aswell as be able to transfer measured activity to the laboratory information management system PETra.A graphical user interface together with backend code has been developed with Python and the library TkInter. The software communicates with both the ion chamber and PETra with a serial connection via COM-Port. Linearity tests have been made for the ion chamber which has shown that the output of the ion chamber itself is linear. This result confirms the software’s reliability with a slight margin of error. Further tests is needed to determine the magnitude of the margin of error.

Dans le cadre du Traité d'Interdiction Complète des Essais Nucléaires (TICE), le Système de Surveillance International (SSI) a été développé. Ce réseau consiste en plusieurs centaines de stations de mesures dont le rôle est de détecter la signature d'un essai nucléaire clandestin. Quatre types de mesures sont effectués: sismique, hydro-acoustique, infrason et radionucléide. Dans le cas particulier d'un essai nucléaire souterrain, seule la mesure des radionucléides est adéquate pour mettre en évidence le caractère nucléaire de l'explosion. Quatre radionucléides du xénon sont produits en masse lors d'un essai nucléaire: le 131m-Xe, le 133m-Xe, le 133-Xe, et le 135-Xe. Une faible proportion de ces gaz parvient à diffuser à travers les fissures de la cavité et se retrouver dans l'atmosphère. A cause de la dilution atmosphérique, les concentrations de ces quatre radionucléides sont extrêmement faibles et par conséquent difficiles à détecter. De plus, le bruit de fond atmosphérique ne cesse d'augmenter car ces gaz radioactifs sont également produits et relâchés par les usines de production de radio-isotopes médicaux et les centrales nucléaires. Afin de renforcer le réseau de surveillance, le CEA-DAM a proposé de développer un système de détection des radionucléides du xénon ultra-compact et mobile, afin de pouvoir effectuer des mesures de vérification directement sur site suspect, et ainsi contourner la contrainte de dilution atmosphérique. Ces travaux présentent le développement et l'optimisation de ce système. Le système a d'abord été modélisé sur ordinateur et ses performances en terme d'efficacité de détection ont été simulées par méthode de Monte-Carlo avec le logiciel Geant4. Les mesures se font en utilisant la technique de mesure en coïncidences électron/photon. En parallèle, une chaîne d'acquisition ultra-compacte a été développée, ainsi qu'un réseau de communication permettant de synchroniser en temps les différents spectromètres numériques utilisés pour le traitement du signal (protocole IEEE 1588 PTP). Les concentrations minimales détectables de ce système sont inférieures à 5 mBq/m³ pour une acquisition de 12 h, et ce pour les quatre radionucléides du xénon d'intérêt. / As part of the Comprehensive nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), an International Monitoring System (IMS) has been developed. This network consists of several hundred measuring stations whose role is to detect the signatures of a clandestine nuclear test. Four types of measurements are carried out: seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide. In the particular case of an underground nuclear test, only the radionuclide measurement is adequate to detect the explosion and quantify its yield. Four xenon radionuclides with long half-lives are produced during a nuclear test: the 131m-Xe, the 133m-Xe, the 133-Xe and the 135-Xe. A small proportion of these gases may diffuse through the cracks in the cavity and end up in the atmosphere. Due to atmospheric dilution, the concentrations of these four radionuclides are extremely low and therefore difficult to detect. In addition, atmospheric background continues to increase as these radioactive gases are also produced by medical radioisotope facilities and nuclear power plants. In order to strengthen the IMS, the CEA-DAM has proposed to develop an ultra-compact and mobile system for detecting xenon radionuclides, in order to be able to carry out verification measurements directly on site, and thus to avoid the problem of atmospheric dilution. This work presents the development and optimization of this system. The system was first modelled on a computer and its performances in terms of detection efficiency were simulated by the Monte-Carlo method using Geant4 software. Measurements are made in electron-photon coincidence mode. In parallel, an ultra-compact acquisition chain has been developed, as well as a communication network to synchronize in time the various digital spectrometers used for signal processing (IEEE 1588 PTP protocol). The minimum detectable concentrations of this system are less than 5 mBq/m³ for a 12 h acquisition, for the four xenon radionuclides of interest.

What could it mean to be a physicist specialized in radioactivity in the early 20th century Vienna? More specifically, what could it mean to be a woman experimenter in radioactivity during that time? This dissertation focuses on the lived experiences of the women experimenters of the <i>Institut für Radiumforschung</i> in Vienna between 1910 and 1938. As one of three leading European Institutes specializing in radioactivity, the Institute had a very strong staff. At a time when there were few women in physics, one third of the Institute's researchers were women. Furthermore, they were not just technicians but were independent researchers who published at about the same rate as their male colleagues. This study accounts for the exceptional constellation of factors that contributed to the unique position of women in Vienna as active experimenters. Three main threads structure this study. One is the role of the civic culture of Vienna and the spatial arrangements specific to the <i>Mediziner-Viertel</i> in establishing the context of the intellectual work of the physicists. A second concerns the ways the Institute's architecture helped to define the scientific activity in its laboratories and to establish the gendered identities of the physicists it housed. The third examines how the social conditions of the Institute influenced the deployment of instrumentation and experimental procedures especially during the Cambridge-Vienna controversy of the 1920s. These threads are unified by their relation to the changing political context during the three contrasting periods in which the story unfolds: a) from the end of the 19th century to the end of the First World War, when new movements, including feminism, Social Democracy, and Christian Socialism, shaped the Viennese political scene, b) the period of Red Vienna, 1919 to 1934, when Social Democrats had control of the City of Vienna, and c) the period from 1934 to the <i>Anschluss</i> in 1938, during which fascists and Nazis seized power in Austria. As I show, the careers of the Institute's women were shaped in good part by the shifting meanings, and the politics, that attached to being a "woman experimenter" in Vienna from 1910 to the beginning of the Second World War. / Ph. D.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive element in the 238U decay series that is found in high concentrations in certain geological formations such as Caves. Exposure to high concentrations of radon has been positively linked to the incidence<br /> of lung cancer. This study used Electret ion chambers and the RAD7 continuous radon monitor to measure radon concentrations in the Cango Caves in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Measurements were taken during summer i.e. February 2004 and March 2005. The results for the radon activity concentrations range from the minimum of<br /> about 800 Bq.m-3 to a maximum of 2600 Bq.m-3. The two techniques give very similar results, though the Electret ion chamber results appear to be consistently higher by a few percent where measurements were taken at the same locations. A<br /> mathematical model has been developed to investigate the radon concentrations in the Cave. Diffusion and ventilation have been considered as mechanisms for explaining the distribution of radon concentrations. The ventilation rate in the Cave has been estimated under certain assumptions, and it is found to be about 7 &times / 10&minus / 6 s&minus / 1 for the Van Zyl hall which is the first large chamber in the Cave. The radon concentration increases as one goes deeper into the Cave, but then becomes fairly constant for the deeper parts. The annual effective dose that the guides are exposed to in the Cave as a result of the radon concentrations, depends strongly on the time that they spend in the Cave and in which, halls they spend most of their time in the Cave. The initial results indicate an annual effective dose of 4-10 mSv, but this needs to be further investigated.