iMatic Alpha/Beta Counter

The iMatic system is a firmware based, automatic, low background, gas-less alpha /beta counter designed specifically for the analysis of air filters and smear or swipe samples. The iMatic system discriminates both radon isotopes and their progeny from transuranic and fission product materials on the samples. It uses a solid state silicon PIPS detector for alpha and beta detection; can be operated continually for over six hours with internal batteries and is totally self contained. The iMatic system represents a major technological breakthrough in air filter analysis.

Counting air samples from either CAM units or stationary samplers can pose serious problems for the health physicist. Why? Radon isotopes and their respective progeny emit alpha particles with energies from 6.0 MeV to 8.78 MeV. The low energy peak tails from these detected alphas mask the spectral region where alphas from transuranic (uranium, plutonium, americium and curium) alphas would be. Even the smallest amount of radon interference on a filter paper can cause ‘falsely’ elevated DAC values. Radon is the problem, but the real difficulty is knowing when the values are false – caused only by radon interference and not a plutonium or uranium release.