Semi-empirical method for self-absorption correction of photons with energies as low as 10 keV in environmental samples

A semi-empirical method that allows the correction of photon self-absorption in gamma spectrometry of environmental matrices is presented. Both, photon transmittance and photopeak efficiency are calculated for energies above 10 keV for any given composition with the help of a Monte Carlo simulation especially developed for this purpose. The simulation is validated for various sample–detector geometries. Problems related to sample composition are discussed with a special focus on the lowest range of energy (13–80 keV).