Gamma-gamma angular correlation in the decay of cobalt-60

Abstract

This is a continuation of the wwork of assembling and testing the equipment necessary to conduct gamma-gamma angular correlation experiments, started by Fort A. Verser, Jr. at the US Naval Postgraduate School (1). No substantial changes were made in the equipment, but rather a rerun of the Cobalt-60 experiment was made to confirm the results obtained in the previous work. A comparison of the previous work confirms that there is a definite distortion in the shape of the observed correlation function. The statistical analysis of the data and the solid angle corrections required for evaluation of the results have been programmed for calculation by use of the 1604 Digital Computer. This paper outlines these programs in detail. The author wishes to express his appreciation for the assistance given him by Professor Harry E. Handler and for his guidance throughout this investigation. Appreciation is expressed to Professor Edmund A. Milne for his advice and comments. Captain T. R. Abernathy, USMC, was very helpful in providing valuable assistance and discussions on various aspects of the computer programming. The cooperation and assistance of Mr. Mervyn C. Brillhart is maintaining and testing the electronic equipment was indispensable.