Gamma spectroscopy
Gamma spectroscopy is the quantitative study of the energy spectra of gamma-ray sources, such as in the nuclear industry, geochemical investigation, and astrophysics.
Most radioactive sources produce gamma rays, which are of various energies and intensities. When these emissions are detected and analyzed with a spectroscopy system, a gamma-ray energy spectrum can be produced.
A detailed analysis of this spectrum is typically used to determine the identity and quantity of gamma emitters present in a radioactive source, and is a vital tool in radiometric assay. The gamma spectrum can show the gamma-emitting isotopes contained in the source.
A gamma spectrometer works by using a scintillation crystal to detect the energy of a gamma ray. The output is a spectrum with peaks where there were the most counts.