Measurement of mass attenuation coefficients by Si(Li), NaI(Tl) and Cd(Tl) detectors

Abstract

Mass attenuation coefficients of the some elements were determined for two photon energies using different three detectors. The samples were irradiated using 10 mCi Cd-109 and 100 mCi Am-241 radioactive point sources. The photons were separately counted by Si(Li), NaI(Tl) and Cd(Tl) detectors. It was observed that the mass attenuation coefficient decreases with increasing energy and increases with increasing atomic number. The measured values are compared with the theoretical ones calculated using WinXcom program.