Monte Carlo method for evaluation of surface emission rate measurement uncertainty

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the uncertainty of \(2\pi \alpha \) and \(2\pi \beta \) surface emission rates using the windowless multiwire proportional counter method. This study used the Monte Carlo method (MCM) to validate the conventional Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) method. A dead time measurement model for the two-source method was established based on the characteristics of a single-channel measurement system, and the voltage threshold correction factor measurement function was indirectly obtained by fitting the threshold correction curve. The uncertainty in the surface emission rate was calculated using the GUM method and the law of propagation of uncertainty. The MCM provided clear definitions for each input quantity and its uncertainty distribution, and the simulation training was realized with a complete and complex mathematical model. The results of the surface emission rate uncertainty evaluation for four radioactive plane sources using both methods showed the uncertainty’s consistency \(E_\text {n} < 0.070\) for the comparison of each source, and the uncertainty results of the GUM were all lower than those of the MCM. However, the MCM has a more objective evaluation process and can serve as a validation tool for GUM results.