Study of background characteristics of a low-level HPGe spectrometer with passive shielding in various configurations

A low-background germanium spectrometer has been investigated with different combinations of shielding materials in two locations at ground level. In particular, seven shielding configurations have been tested in a room with thick walls and ceiling. The background components, peaks and continuum in the 50–2600 keV energy region, obtained in the several experimental conditions are reported and discussed.