TY - JOUR
T1 - Beta and gamma dose rate attenuation in rocks and sediment
AU - Riedesel, Svenja
AU - Autzen, Martin
N1 - Funding Information:
SR is grateful for an AberDoc PhD scholarship of Aberystwyth University, which funds her PhD research. We would like to thank Prof G.A.T. Duller, Prof H.M. Roberts and Dr X. Ou (all Aberystwyth University) and Prof A.S. Murray (Aarhus University) for fruitful discussions, which helped to improve this research. We thank Prof I.K. Bailiff (Durham University) and Prof A.S. Murray (Aarhus University) who shared their knowledge on the original experimental setup presented in Aitken et al. (1985). We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers, whose comments helped to improve the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2020/4/1
Y1 - 2020/4/1
N2 - This paper explores the attenuation of beta and gamma dose rate in a radioactive and in an adjacent inert layer for K, Th and U, individually, using Geant4 simulations. The simulated beta dose rate attenuation cannot perfectly be described by a single exponential function, thus the updated attenuation coefficients were obtained using two exponential functions with intercepts related to the different slopes. Attenuation coefficients and intercepts are provided in the manuscript. The newly obtained beta dose rate attenuation coefficients differ from the previously published values by a factor of 2, which results in a larger attenuation of the beta dose rate, so that the infinite matrix dose rate is reached at ~2 mm into the sediment and at ~1.5 mm into a rock. The new gamma dose rate attenuation coefficients are in good agreement with previously published literature and it is shown that the infinite gamma dose rate is reached at 300 mm in wet sediment with a density of 2 g cm−3.
AB - This paper explores the attenuation of beta and gamma dose rate in a radioactive and in an adjacent inert layer for K, Th and U, individually, using Geant4 simulations. The simulated beta dose rate attenuation cannot perfectly be described by a single exponential function, thus the updated attenuation coefficients were obtained using two exponential functions with intercepts related to the different slopes. Attenuation coefficients and intercepts are provided in the manuscript. The newly obtained beta dose rate attenuation coefficients differ from the previously published values by a factor of 2, which results in a larger attenuation of the beta dose rate, so that the infinite matrix dose rate is reached at ~2 mm into the sediment and at ~1.5 mm into a rock. The new gamma dose rate attenuation coefficients are in good agreement with previously published literature and it is shown that the infinite gamma dose rate is reached at 300 mm in wet sediment with a density of 2 g cm−3.
KW - Dose rate attenuation
KW - Beta dose rate
KW - Gamma dose rate
KW - Rock surface dating
KW - Luminescence dating
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85081114115&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.radmeas.2020.106295
DO - 10.1016/j.radmeas.2020.106295
M3 - Article
SN - 1350-4487
VL - 133
JO - Radiation Measurements
JF - Radiation Measurements
M1 - 106295
ER -