A comprehensive calibration method of Ge detectors for low-level gamma-spectrometry measurements

This paper aims to show a general and simple method for gamma-ray efficiency calibration in the 186–1500 keV energy range with special attention to applications on environmental studies. This method accounts for differences in densities, composition and counting geometries between real and calibration samples. Self-absorption corrections can be easily determined from a single spectral measurement knowing only the apparent densities of the samples. We have evaluated the influence of background parameters in the response of the spectrometric system and moreover, we have calculated the minimum detectable activity due to background contribution. This calibration has been validated through three different and independent tests.