A high-efficiency radioactive xenon detection system for verification of test-ban treaties

A system with promising characteristics was developed for the detection of 131rnXe,1 33rnXe'3, 3Xe, and I3'Xe metastable isotopes for treaty verification of nuclear test ban treaties. The proposed method uses high-resolution electron and gamma-ray spectrometry and coincidence timing for signal selectivity and background rejection. The system enables the identification, quantification, and determination of the provenance of the relevant xenon isotopes. X-ray fluorescence gating is used to lower the backgrounds from other sources to well below the sub-becquerel level. Using coincidence and anti-coincidence schemes among the several detectors that comprise the system, K-shell conversion electrons were clearly identified with good efficiencies and energy resolutions (about 1.4 keV for the 30 keV K-shell fluorescence x-rays and 25 keV for the conversion electrons)