A ultra low level laboratory for nuclear test ban measurements

The radionuclide laboratory at the Austrian Research Centers Seibersdorf (ATL03) was installed to support the international monitoring system for verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT and Text of the establishment of a Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Test-Ban-Treaty Organization, 1996). Therefore, the background of a high-purity germanium detection system has been reduced by developing a high sophisticated active and passive detector shielding. The entire system is encapsulated in an iron-castle and placed into a fall-out shelter. The final count rate, achieved over the energy interval from 40 to 2700 keV, amounts to 0.18 counts s−1 kg−1 (Ge).