Method development and performance study of Geant4 and Gold's algorithm for gamma spectral unfolding

Abstract

This thesis attempts to unfold the energy distribution of a gamma field from the response function of the gamma detector. To do this, an iterative matrix-unfolding algorithm is applied to measurements and a detector response function. Using empirical data and Geant4, a monte carlo radiation transport code, the response function is generated to represent the detector's response to a range of gamma energies. This overall approach is applied to gamma check sources, PuBe, and a gamma distribution resulting from a cyclotron-induced reaction.