A new Rule of Thumb to evaluate alpha sources prepared by electro precipitation using X-ray Fluorescence.

This report studies the feasibility of using X-ray Fluorescence for the characterization of alpha sources in a short time and proposes a new Rule of Thumb for the sake of simplicity. An uranium deposit of 0.012 ± 0.001 mg cm−2 which XRF spectrum shows a low intensity U-L α peak at 13.61 keV, provides good resolution in alpha spectrometry. By this method, long data acquisition times in alpha spectrometry of poorly prepared sources are avoided without the need for expensive equipment. • XRF is a suitable technique for the characterization of alpha sources in a short time. • A Rule of Thumb allows rapid evaluation of alpha-particle sources. • Small laboratories will benefit from this method, as the analysis can be performed even with portable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]