Competence of alpha spectrometry analysis algorithms used to resolve the 241Am and 243Am alpha peak overlap

Five alpha spectrometry analysis algorithms were evaluated for their ability to resolve the 241Am and 243Am peak overlap present under typical low-level counting conditions. The major factors affecting the performance of the algorithms were identified using design-of-experiment combined with statistical analysis of the results. The study showed that the accuracy of the 241Am/243Am ratios calculated by the algorithms depends greatly on the degree of peak deformation and tailing. Despite the improved data quality obtained using an algorithm that may include peak addition and tail estimation, the accurate determination of 241Am by alpha spectrometry relies primarily on reduction of peak overlap rather than on algorithm selection.