Klein–Nishina formula and Monte Carlo method for evaluating the gamma attenuation properties of Zn, Ba, Te and Bi elements

Abstract

Abstract In this work, the Klein–Nishina (K–N) approach was used to evaluate the electronic, atomic, and energy-transfer cross sections of four elements, namely, zinc (Zn), tellurium (Te), barium (Ba), and bismuth (Bi), for different photon energies (0.662 MeV, 0.835 MeV, 1.170 MeV, 1.330 MeV, and 1.600 MeV). The obtained results were compared with the Monte Carlo method (Geant4 simulation) in terms of mass attenuation and mass energy-transfer coefficients. The results show that the K–N approach and Geant4 simulations are in good agreement for the entire energy range considered. As the photon energy increased from 0.662 MeV to 1.600 MeV, the values of the energy-transfer cross sections decreased from 81.135 cm2 to 69.184 cm2 in the case of Bi, from 50.832 cm2 to 43.344 cm2 for Te, from 54.742 cm2 to 46.678 cm2 for Ba, and from 29.326 cm2 to 25.006 cm2 for Zn. The obtained results and the detailed information of the attenuation properties for the studied elements would be helpful in developing a new generation of shielding materials against gamma rays.