Application of activation radiography in experimental investigation

A method of neutron activation radiography has been elaborated based on the neutron irradiation of the sample under study and subsequent photoregistration of the induced activity of the given element. The method is intended for investigation of spatial distributions of gold and other elements in various substances. Principal factors such as spatial resolution, range of local detection limit, as well as optimal regimes of irradiation, cooling and photoexposure are estimated. These factors determine the conditions to be provided to obtain selective radiograms. Radiographic methods for investigation of the distributions of more than 40 elements with local detection limits within the range from 10 −3 to 10 −8 g · mm −2 and resolution of 1 – 100 μm have also been developed. Methods elaborated for analysis of geological and geochemical samples produce representative data on the regularities of element spread in the minerals and samples of ores and holding rocks.