5.

2- Interaction of gamma ray with matter

Interaction of gamma ray with matter different from that of
charged particle such as  and  particles. The difference is that
-rays have much greater penetrating power than charged
particle and in the absorption laws. A gamma-ray will interact
with its medium in one of three different ways: photoelectric
absorption, Compton scattering, and pair production. These
different interactions change their probability of occurring
depending on the energy of the gamma-ray and the atomic
number of the material.

1
Photoelectric Absorption
In the photoelectric absorption, the incident photon disappears and a
photoelectron is produced from one of the electron shells of the absorber. The
kinetic energy that this electron carries off is E e− = h − Eb, where Eb is the
binding energy of the liberated electron in its original shell. This empty spot in the
electron shell is quickly filled by electron rearrange-ment. This process causes the
binding energy, Eb, to be liberated as well. This energy is liberated in the form of
a characteristic X-ray or an Auger electron. Figure 6. 1: A depiction of
photoelectric absorption

Figure 6.1: A depiction of photoelectric absorption

The most tightly bound electrons have the greater probability of
absorbing the incident photons, about 80% of the photoelectric effect
take place in the K-shell. The interaction cross section of the
photoelectric absorption has a dependence of 5
Z
 pe  (5.1)
E7 / 2
Z (Z: atomic number, Eγ: incident photon energy)
2
Compton Scattering
The Compton scattering interaction is the scattering of a gamma-ray off of a free
or unbound electron, thus creating a scattered gamma-ray photon and a recoil
electron. The energy of the incoming photon is divided between the scattered
photon and the recoil nucleus by a relationship that is dependent on the
scattering angle.

3
The incident gamma ray has energy E = h . The scattered gamma ray has energy
E = h/ . The scattered electron (assumed initially at rest) has energy Te . Since
total energy is conserved, h = h/ + Te.
A two-particle interaction can be described in a two-dimensional coordinate
system. We choose the coordinates so the incident gamma ray approaches an
electron at the origin along the x-axis moving from left to right. We can write
two equations to conserve momentum in the x and y directions. In these
equations Pe is the momentum of the electron.
h h 
 cos   Pe cos  in x  direction (5.2)
c c
h 
0 sin   Pe sin  in y  direction (5.3)
c
By simultaneously solving the three conservation relations, we derive the
Compton relation
h
h   (5.4)
1  (1  cos  )h / me c 2
4
Compton Scattering Energetics
The energies of the scattered photon hν/ and the Compton electron Te, are given
by h
h   (5.5)
1   (1  cos  )
 (1  cos  ) (5.6)
Te h
1   (1  cos  ) [m0c2 is the electron rest energy, 0.511 MeV,
h hν is the incoming photon energy]
where 
mo c 2
Maximum energy transfer to recoil electron:
• angle of electron recoil is forward at 0°, φ = 0°,
• the scattered photon will be scattered straight back, θ = 180°
• With θ = 180°, cos θ = -1 the expressions above simplify to:

2 (5.7)
Te (max) h
1  2
1 (5.8)
and h  h
5 1  2
Pair Production
If a photon enters matter with an energy in excess of 1.022 MeV, it may
interact by a process called pair production.
The photon, passing near the nucleus of an atom, is subjected to strong field
effects from the nucleus and may disappear as a photon and reappear as a
positive and negative electron pair.
The two electrons produced, e- and e+, are not scattered orbital electrons,
but are created in the energy/mass conversion of the disappearing photon.
Pair Production Energetics
The kinetic energy of the electrons produced will be the difference between
the energy of the incoming photon and the energy equivalent of two electron
masses (2 x 0.511, or 1.022 MeV).
Ee+ + Ee- = hν - 1.022 (2m0c2) (MeV)
Pair production probability
• Increases with increasing photon energy
• Increases with atomic number approximately as Z2

6
Annihilation Process
In annihilation process, the positron after being formed in pair production, is slow-
down by collisions with atoms and the interacts with an electron which assume to be
practically at rest. The two particles (e-, e+) disappear and two photons appear
moving in opposite-directions (=1800), each photon is of energy 0.511MeV.
e-+ e+=2=2x0.511=1.022 MeV. The annihilation probability increases for slow
down positrons.

7
As can be seen from Figure 6.2, the photoelectric effect is dominant for low
energy photons and high Z materials. Pair production is dominant for high energy
photons and high Z materials. The Compton scattering interaction is dominant for
moderate energies.

Figure 6.2: A graph depicting the various regions where

the different gamma-ray interactions are dominant.
8
* Electric multipole emission is more probable than the same magnetic multipole
emission by a factor 102 for medium and heavy nuclei
(E)/ (M) = 102
*emission of multipole L+1 is less probable than emission of multipole L by a
factor of order 10-5
(E2)/ (E1)= (M2)/ (M1)=10-5

9
Internal Conversion
Internal conversion is an electromagnetic process that competes with gamma-
emission. In this case the electromagnetic fields of the nucleus do not result in the
emission of a photon; instead the fields interact with the atomic electron and
cause one of the electrons to be emitted from the atom. Internal conversion is not
a two step process in which a photon is first emitted by the nucleus and then
knocks loose an orbiting electron by process analogues to the photoelectric
effect.
The transition energy E appears in this case as the kinetic energy Te of the
emitted electron, less the binding energy B of the electron.
Te= E –B (5.9)
Internal conversion is produced by time varying coulomb fields of the nucleus,
which has radial direction, while gamma ray is cause by transverse electric and
magnetic fields. Because the electron binding energy varies with the atomic
orbital, for given transition E there will be internal conversion electrons emitted
with different energies and the observed electrons spectrum are discrete in
contrast to the electron spectrum emitted in beta decay.
10
The total decay probability t has two components, one  arising from gamma
emission and another e arising from internal conversion
 t=   +  e (5.10)

Internal Conversion coefficient

Internal Conversion coefficient can be defined as
= e /  (5.11)
t= (1+ ) (5.12)
t= +e.k+e.L+e.M) (5.13)
A no relativistic calculation gives the following instructive results for electric
and magnetic multipole:

11
 2
z3 L e2 2 m c (5.14)
 ( EL)  3 ( )( ) 4 ( e ) L 5 / 2
n L  1 4 0 c E
2
z3 e2 4 2me c (5.15)
 ( ML)  3 ( ) ( ) L 3 / 2
n 4 0 c E
e2 1
Where ( )
4 0 c 137
n is principle quantum number and z is the atomic number.
The approximate expressions (equations 6.14 and 6.15) illustrate some features
of the internal conversion coefficients:
1) They increase as z3, so that the conversion process is more important for
heavy nuclei than for light nuclei.
2)The conversion coefficient decreases rapidly with increasing transition energy

12
3)The conversion coefficient increases rapidly as the multipole order L
increases
4)The conversion coefficient decreases as 1/n3 for higher atomic shells (n1)

Isomeric states
Most excited states in nuclei make almost immediate transitions to a lower
state some nuclear states may live very much longer. Their de-excitation is
usually hindered by a large spin difference between levels. (i.e. for bidden
transitions) resulting in lifetimes ranging from seconds to years. A nuclide
which is “trapped” in one of these met stable states will thus show
radioactive properties different from those in more normal states. Such
nuclei are called isomers and are denoted by a m next to the mass number in
their formula.
eg 60mCo or 69mZn

13
Gamma Ray Attenuation
Consider a beam of photons of intensity I0 incident upon a plane of absorbing
material as shown Collimator

At a depth x with in the material this

intensity is reduced to I due to interaction
along its way. within an incremental
thickness dx there is a further reduction in I
by dI. the probability for interaction within
dx is dI=I. Thus the probability for
interaction per unit thickness is :

dI 1
 ( ) (5.16(
I dx

14
Interms of  we may write the decrease in intensity within dx

 dI Idx (5.17(

This simple differential equation, when solved by using the boundary condition
that I = I0 at x = 0, yields

I I 0 e  x for good geometry (5.18(

I BI 0 e  x for Broad geometry
(5.19(
B is a function of shield material and its thickness and energy of the radiation
and also a particular quantity being observed.

The linear attenuation coefficient  is related to the total microscopic cross

section t by
=N  (5.20(
t

.where N is the number of targets per unit volume

15
 Half Value Thickness (HVT)
is the thickness of an absorber at which the intensity of the incident beam falls to
its half value. = 0.693/HVT
(5.21(
Mean free-path
is a quantity that describes the average distance traveled by a photon before
absorption. The mean free path is given by
m=1/ 
(5.22(
Mass Attenuation Coefficient (m)
Mass attenuation coefficient is the probability of interaction per unit of path
length expressed in terms of mass/area. It is obtained by dividing the linear
attenuation coefficient by the density () of the material.

m= /= 1/[P.E+ c.s+ P.P] (5.23)

In terms of the mass attenuation coefficient, the attenuation law for gamma rays
now takes the form
I I e (   m ) x
0
(5.24)

16
A unit very often used for expressing thickness of absorbers is the surface density
or mass thickness. This is given by the mass density of the material times its
thickness in normal units of length. i.e.
mass thickness = mass density x thickness
t=x
In terms of mass thickness and mass attenuation coefficient, the attenuation law
thus becomes

I I 0 e (   m ) x I 0 e (   m )t (5.25)

Notes:
k = w/c is the wave number
k=E /ħc=E(MeV)/197 MeV.fm

17