A combined 148Gd/244Cm source for energy calibration of α-spectrometers

For high-resolution α-particle spectroscopy, detector calibration sources of highest performance are required concerning thickness and homogeneity. In addition, the α-emitting radionuclides must have adequate half-lives and α-emission energies. This paper describes a new type of α-emitting calibration source, represented by a mixture of 148Gd and 244Cm. This system covers an α-energy range from 3.18 MeV (148Gd) to 5.76 and 5.80 MeV (244Cm). The source has been prepared by electrolytic deposition and has good performance in terms of thickness and homogeneity.