Study the Effect of Table Salt Concentration in Water on the Absorptivity of Gamma Rays Emitted from the Radioactive Source Cs-137.

Abstract

This research investigated the influence of table salt concentration in water on the absorption of gamma rays emitted from a cesium-137 (Cs-137) radioactive source. The measurements were performed using the Universal Computer Spectrometer (UCS-30), which represents the latest generation of nuclear spectroscopy systems developed by Spectrum Techniques LLC, following earlier versions such as UCS-20.

The experimental results demonstrated that the gross area and net area of the gamma-ray energy spectrum decrease progressively with increasing salt concentration in a fixed volume of water (200 ml). In contrast, the photopeak centroid, full width at half maximum (FWHM), and energy resolution were found to increase as the salt concentration increased. These findings indicate that the absorptivity of water for gamma radiation is enhanced by the addition of salt, leading to reduced photon counts and degraded spectral resolution.

The study highlights the significant role of solution density in modifying gamma-ray attenuation and detector response, providing useful insights for applications in radiation shielding, environmental monitoring, and nuclear physics experiments.