Am-Be source -Reply

[FRAMEP@ORAU.GOV]

>What energies and intenzities of gammas are present in a Am-Be
>source?
9Be +  4He  --->  13C*  --->  12C  + 1n  + gamma.
>Is there any quantified relation between neutron emission and
>gamma(s) intensity?  I'd like to get some reference too.
>(I just vaguely remember that there is some gamma around ~4-5 MeV.)   

Radiation Shielding and Dosimetry by A. E. Profio pub by Wiley
interscience lists two gammas from an Am241Be source: 0.06 and 4.43
MeV. The 0.06 would be from Am-241 decay and the 4.43 would be from
the reaction.

Wrt to gamma intensities (yield?), all I have right now is from "Calibration
Techniques for Neutron Personal Dosimetry"  Radiation Protection
Dosimetry V 10 p43 (1985) by Eisenhauer, Hunt and Schwartz:  the
photon dose equivalent rate constant  from an Am-241Be source is 7
E-16 Sv/hr at 1 m per Bq. The neutron dose equivalent rate constant is
7.2 E-16 Sv/hr at 1 m per Bq. Given the neutron yield at 6.6 E-5 n/s per
Bq, the energy and the dose constant it should be possible to back
calculate the gamma intensity.

Paul Frame
Professional Training Programs
ORISE
framep@orau.gov