Peak overlap is a recurrent issue in alpha-particle spectrometry, not only in routine analyses but also in the high-resolution spectra from which reference values for alpha emission probabilities are derived. In this work, improved peak shape formulae are presented for the deconvolution of alpha-particle spectra. They have been implemented as fit functions in a spreadsheet application and optimum fit parameters were searched with built-in optimisation routines. Deconvolution results are shown for a few challenging spectra with high statistical precision. The algorithm outperforms the best available routines for high-resolution spectrometry, which may facilitate a more reliable determination of alpha emission probabilities in the future. It is also applicable to alpha spectra with inferior energy resolution.

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A European comparison was conducted on measurement of 137 Cs activity in fume dust. Participants used high resolution gamma ray spectrometry. Efficiency calibration included Monte Carlo, numerical and experimental methods. Reference 137 Cs and 60 Co activity concentrations in the fume dust were determined. A new traceable activity standard of fume dust matrix is available to end-users. a b s t r a c t A comparison was conducted, between 11 European National Metrology Institutes and EC-JRC, on measurement of 137 Cs activity concentration in fume dust. As test material an activity standard produced from real contaminated fume dust was used. The standard material consisted of 13 cylindrical samples of compressed fume dust. The material contained 137 Cs and 60 Co of reference activity concentrations of (9.72 7 0.10) Bq/g and (0.450 70.018) Bq/g, respectively, for the reference date of 1 June 2013, determined using the comparison results. The organization and results of the intercomparison, as well as the process of obtaining reliable reference values are presented.

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