Experimental evaluation of the variation of gamma-ray self-attenuation correction factor with gamma energy and geometry of analytical sample

Gamma spectrometric analyses require correction for self-attenuation effect due to the interactions of the photons emitted by the sample and its own matrix. An experiment has been used to assess the variation of the gamma-ray self-attenuation correction factor with gamma energy and mass (volume) of analytical sample. A transmission experiment has been used to determine the gamma-ray self-attenuation correction factor. The results of the experimental study show that the gamma-ray self-attenuation correction factor increases with increasing gamma-ray energies whereas lower gamma-ray self-attenuation correction factors are observed at higher sample masses and vice versa.