Michele Prata

30Si Mole Fraction of a Silicon Material Highly Enriched in 28Si Determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

The latest determination of the Avogadro constant, carried out by counting the atoms in a pure silicon crystal highly enriched in (28)Si, reached the target 2 × 10(-8) relative uncertainty required for the redefinition of the kilogram based on the Planck constant. The knowledge of the isotopic composition of the enriched silicon material is central; it is measured by isotope dilution mass spectrometry. In this work, an independent estimate of the (30)Si mole fraction was obtained by applying a relative measurement protocol based on Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis. The amount of (30)Si isotope was determined by counting the 1266.1 keV γ-photons emitted during the radioactive decay of the radioisotope (31)Si produced via the neutron capture reaction (30)Si(n,γ)(31)Si. The x((30)Si) = 1.043(19) × 10(-6) mol mol(-1) is consistent with the value currently adopted by the International Avogadro Coordination.

Cryoconite as a temporary sink for anthropogenic species stored in glaciers

Cryoconite, the typical sediment found on the surface of glaciers, is mainly known in relation to its role in glacial microbiology and in altering the glacier albedo. But if these aspects are relatively well addressed, the same cannot be said about the geochemical properties of cryoconite and the possible interactions with glacial and peri-glacial environment. Current glacier retreat is responsible for the secondary emission of species deposited in high-altitude regions in the last decades. The role played by cryoconite in relation to such novel geochemical fluxes is largely unknown. Few and scarce observations suggest that it could interact with these processes, accumulating specific substances, but why, how and to what extent remain open questions. Through a multi-disciplinary approach we tried to shed lights. Results reveal that the peculiar composition of cryoconite is responsible for an extreme accumulation capability of this sediment, in particular for some, specific, anthropogenic substances.

Measurement of the neutron flux parameters f and α at the Pavia TRIGA Mark II reactor

In this paper, evaluation of neutron flux parameters of TRIGA Mark II reactor in Pavia was carried out. For any of the three irradiation positions investigated, this work represented the first experimental evaluation of α. Moreover, in addition to α, values of other parameters such as f, Φth and Φe were also calculated and compared with the existent literature data from other TRIGA Mark II reactors and the Pavia’s facility. Results obtained in the present study represent a mandatory step ahead for future application of k0-Neutron Activation Analysis method (k0-NAA) at Pavia’s facility.

Neutron activation analysis of the 30Si content of highly enriched 28Si: proof of concept and estimation of the achievable uncertainty

We investigated the use of neutron activation to estimate the 30Si mole fraction of the ultra-pure silicon material highly enriched in 28Si for the measurement of the Avogadro constant. Specifically, we developed a relative method based on instrumental neutron activation analysis and using a natural-Si sample as a standard. To evaluate the achievable uncertainty, we irradiated a 6 g sample of a natural-Si material and modelled experimentally the signal that would be produced by a sample of the 28Si-enriched material of similar mass and subjected to the same measurement conditions. The extrapolation of the expected uncertainty from the experimental data indicates that a measurement of the 30Si mole fraction of the 28Si-enriched material might reach a 4% relative combined standard uncertainty.

Low-background neutron activation analysis: a powerful tool for atmospheric mineral dust analysis in ice cores

Abstract The application of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for multi-elemental analysis of samples of extremely reduced mass such as dust samples extracted from ice cores requires specific efforts towards the development of a “low level counting” analytical technique. An analytical protocol specifically designed for this kind of samples, based on low-background INAA (LBNAA) is here presented. A first application of the method was successfully performed on samples from the new alpine firn core NextData-LYS12. Sub-ng detection limits were reached for many elements. According to this point the technique is also potentially suitable to be applied to polar ice core samples.

Author Correction: Cryoconite as a temporary sink for anthropogenic species stored in glaciers.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

A new model with Serpent for the first criticality benchmarks of the TRIGA Mark II reactor

Abstract We present a new model, developed with the Serpent Monte Carlo code, for neutronics simulation of the TRIGA Mark II reactor of Pavia (Italy). The complete 3D geometry of the reactor core is implemented with high accuracy and detail, exploiting all the available information about geometry and materials. The Serpent model of the reactor is validated in the fresh fuel configuration, through a benchmark analysis of the first criticality experiments and control rods calibrations. The accuracy of simulations in reproducing the reactivity difference between the low power (10 W) and full power (250 kW) reactor condition is also tested. Finally, a direct comparison between Serpent and MCNP simulations of the same reactor configurations is presented.

Neutron flux characterisation of the Pavia TRIGA Mark II research reactor for radiobiological and microdosimetric applications

Nowadays the Pavia TRIGA reactor is available for national and international collaboration in various research fields. The TRIGA Mark II nuclear research reactor of the Pavia University offers different in- and out-core neutron irradiation channels, each characterised by different neutron spectra. In the last two years a campaign of measurements and simulations has been performed in order to guarantee a better characterisation of these different fluxes and to meet the demands of irradiations that require precise information on these spectra in particular for radiobiological and microdosimetric studies. Experimental data on neutron fluxes have been collected analysing and measuring the gamma activity induced in thin target foils of different materials irradiated in different TRIGA experimental channels. The data on the induced gamma activities have been processed with the SAND II deconvolution code and finally compared with the spectra obtained with Monte Carlo simulations. The comparison between simulated and measured spectra showed a good agreement allowing a more precise characterisation of the neutron spectra and a validation of the adopted method.