Re: should smoke detectors use Pu or Am?

["JOHN JACOBUS" <JENDAY1@email.msn.com>]

I think a fundamental point to recall is that smoke detectors do not use
AmBe sources.  The radionuclide is Am-241 and you are monitoring the
alpha-particle flux.  Not photons.  Not neutrons.

John Jacobus, MS
Medical Health Physicist
3050 Traymore Lane
Bowie, MD 20715-2024
jenday1@email.msn.com (H)
>
> At 11:27 AM 9/28/00 -0500, Ted de Castro wrote:
> >We don't use AmBe because PuBe has fewer gammas
>
> so, should smoke detectors use Pu instead of Am?



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