Click a button to explore delayed gamma activation

Delayed Gamma Process

Volunteer in position to enter the neutron irradiator

The neutron irradiation process takes approximately 2 minutes. The subject lies on a bed which moves into the irradiation chamber. The bed emerges from the chamber after activation is complete. The subject must then proceed to the whole body counter (WBC), where the induced gamma signal can be measured.

The induced gamma signal diminishes rapidly, depending on the element it's coming from. The subject must get into position on the WBC bed fairly quickly, as the gamma measurement begins one minute after neutron activation completes. The WBC measurement takes 15 minutes.

All subjects must undergo a whole body measurement (15 min.) before the activation procedure takes place. This initial run serves as both a potassium count and a background (baseline) measurement. The data from the initial run is subtracted from the activation run, leaving behind only the net peaks produced by the activation procedure.

[Delayed gamma technique] ]theory] [process] [schematic]
[Main in-vivo activation page]