Radioactivity measurements -- finding a fit for lab measurements

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SUMMARY

This discussion centers on fitting theoretical functions to radioactivity measurements involving an americium (Am) alpha particle source and a sensor in a vacuum chamber. Initial attempts to fit a Gaussian function were unsuccessful due to its peak being "cut," leading to the adoption of the function f(x)=e^-(x^4) for better accuracy. This adjustment is attributed to the finite dimensions of the source, which affects the angular distribution of emitted particles. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding the physical characteristics of the source and detector in modeling radioactivity data.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of radioactivity and alpha particle emission
  • Familiarity with data fitting techniques and functions
  • Knowledge of vacuum chamber experiments
  • Basic principles of angular distribution in particle physics
NEXT STEPS
  • Research advanced fitting techniques for experimental data analysis
  • Explore the implications of source geometry on particle emission
  • Study the mathematical properties of the function f(x)=e^-(x^4)
  • Investigate the design and optimization of vacuum chamber setups for particle detection
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, experimental researchers, and students involved in radioactivity experiments and data analysis, particularly those focusing on particle detection and angular distribution modeling.

YanivW
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As a part of an experiment in radioactivity, we placed an alpha particles emitting source (Am) and a sensor in a vacuum chamber, and measured the power (number of particles per time unit) for various angles of the sensor.
Our goal is to fit a theoretical function to our measurements (power vs. angle) so we can integrate it and get the total power of the source.
At first we've been told to fit a gaussian, but then we saw that it's peak is "cut". We found in some book that a fit to f(x)=e^-(x^4) will give better results, and that the reason to this have something to do with the fact that the source isn't a perfect source point, i.e. it has finite dimensions.
I will be glad if someone could think of a reasonable explanation to this.
Thanks a lot!
 
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Do you have a sketch of the setup? A perfect spherical source will emit uniformly in all directions, some angular dependence has to come from source or detector.
 

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