DEAD-TIME CORRECTION METHOD FOR SHORT-LIVED RADIOISOTOPES USING MEASURED PEAK AREAS.

A computer based method has been developed for the correction of counting losses due to ADC dead-time and pulse pile-up in gamma-ray spectrometry. The method is designed specifically for neutron activation analysis and can handle a mixture of short-lived radionuclides, where the dead-time decreases substantially during the measurement period. Once the system is calibrated, the only input values needed to correct a spectrum are the measured peak areas and the counting time.