The Mossbauer Light Source

The emission spectmm of Co, as recorded with an ideal detector with energy-independent efficiency and constant resolution (line width), is shown in Fig. 3.6b. In addition to the expected three y-lines of Fe at 14.4, 122, and 136 keV, there is also a strong X-ray line at 6.4 keV. This is due to an after-effect of K-capture, arising from electron-hole recombination in the K-shell of the atom. The spontaneous transition of an L-electron filling up the hole in the K-shell yields Fe-X X-radiation. However, in a practical Mossbauer experiment, this and other soft X-rays rarely reach the y-detector because of the strong mass absorption in the Mossbauer sample. On the other hand, the sample itself may also emit substantial X-ray fluorescence (XRF) radiation, resulting from photo absorption of y-rays (not shown here). Another X-ray line is expected to appear in the y-spectrum due to XRF of the carrier material of the source. For rhodium metal, which is commonly used as the source matrix for Co, the corresponding line is found at 22 keV. 

The complexity of the Co emission spectrum and the low fraction of the desired 14.4 keV radiation require an efficient Mossbauer counting system that is able to discriminate photons of different energies and reject the unwanted events. Otherwise a huge nonresonant background would add to the counting statistics of the spectra and fatally increase the noise of the spectrometer. 

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