Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-03T16:09:52.304Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Potential of the London Underground for Liquid Scintillation Counting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Sheridan Bowman*
Affiliation:
British Museum Research Laboratory, London WC1B 3DG, England
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A portable gamma spectrometer has been used to survey three locations that are part of the London Underground Transport System (the “tube”). Up to an order of magnitude reduction in the cosmic ray flux was observed relative to the laboratory level. The likely reduction in background count rate achievable by underground siting of currently used Packard and LKB liquid scintillation counters is considered. It is noted that in the present, surface usage for radiocarbon dating, the background count rate of low-potassium glass vials in the LKB is not substanially higher than that of PTFE vials.

Type
V. Conventional Techniques
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Aitken, M J, 1985, Thermoluminescence dating: Orlando, Florida, Academic Press.Google Scholar
Ambers, J A, Leese, M N and Bowman, S G E, 1986, Detection of bias in the background of vials used in radiocarbon dating, in Stuiver, M and Kra, R S, eds, Internatl 14C conf, 12th, Proc: Radiocarbon, this issue.Google Scholar
Calf, G E and Airey, P L, 1982, Liquid scintillation counting of carbon-14 in a heavily shielded site, in Ambrose, W and Duerden, P, eds, Archaeometry: an Australian perspective: Canberra, Australian Natl Univ Press, p 351356.Google Scholar
Calf, G E and Polach, H A, 1974, Teflon vials for liquid scintillation counting of carbon-14 samples, in Stanley, P E and Scoggins, B A, eds, Liquid scintillation counting—recent developments: New York, Academic Press, p 223234.Google Scholar
Laney, B H, 1971, Electronic rejection of optical crosstalk in a twin photomultiplier scintillation counter, in Horrocks, D L and Peng, C-T, eds, Organic scintillators and liquid scintillation counting: New York, Academic Press, p 9911003.Google Scholar
Schotterer, U and Oeschger, H, 1980, Low-level liquid scintillation counting in an underground laboratory, in Stuiver, M and Kra, R S, eds, Internatl 14C conf, 10th, Proc: Radiocarbon, v 22, no. 2, p 505511.Google Scholar
Soini, E, 1975, Rejection of optical cross-talk in photomultiplier tubes in liquid scintillation counter: Turku, Finland, Wallac Oy research rept. Google Scholar