AbstractsPhysics

Important information concerning the multipolarity, spin, and parity changes in a nuclear transition may be obtained by comparing experimentally measured internal conversion coefficients with those theoretically predicted (1). In determining these conversion coefficients by taking the ratio of the number of internal conversion electrons emitted to the number of emitted gamma rays for a given transition, the gamma ray intensities usually have the largest error. Internal conversion line intensities may be measured using a magnetic spectrometer wit.h an error of one or two percent while the gamma-ray intensities are frequently in error from five to ten percent or more. Since the theoretical calculations of internal conversion coefficients are estimated to be accurate to about five percent, it is desirable to measure internal conversion coefficients with an error of not more than five percent for a meaningful comparison. Thus a means must be found to reduce the uncertainty in the gamma-ray intensity measurements. It is usually sufficient to measure relative intensities and then to compute relative internal conversion coefficients. ·By a suitable normalization procedure absolute internal conversion coefficients may be obtained.