Measurement of mass attenuation coefficients, effective atomic numbers, and electron densities for different parts of medicinal aromatic plants in low-energy region

Abstract

The mass attenuation coefficients (µ/ρ) for different parts (root, flower, stem, and leaf) of three medicinal aromatic plants (Teucrium chamaedrys L. subsp. sinuatum, Rheum ribes, and Chrysophthalmum montanum) were measured using an 241Am photon source in a stable geometry and calculated using the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code System-extended (MCNPX) code and the WinXCOM program. The experimental and theoretical MCNPX and WinXCOM values exhibited good agreement. The measured mass attenuation coefficient values were then used to compute the effective atomic number (Zeff) and electron density (NE) of the samples. The results reveal that S1-S (stem of Teucrium chamaedrys L. subsp. sinuatum) has the highest values of µ/ρ and Zeff. © 2018, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Nuclear Society, Science Press China and Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.