Production and characterization of a ²²²Rn-emanating stainless steel source

Abstract

Precise radon measurements are a requirement for various applications,ranging from radiation protection over environmental studies to materialscreening campaigns for rare-event searches. All of them ultimately depend onthe availability of calibration sources with a known and stable radon emanationrate. A new approach to produce clean and dry radon sources by implantation of$^{226}$Ra ions into stainless steel has been investigated. In a proof ofprinciple study, two stainless steel plates have been implanted incollaboration with the ISOLDE facility located at CERN. We present results froma complete characterization of the sources. Each sample provides a radonemanation rate of about 2 Bq, which has been measured using electrostatic radonmonitors as well as miniaturized proportional counters. Additional measurementsusing HPGe and alpha spectrometry as well as measurements of the radonemanation rate at low temperatures were carried out.<br