peak efficiency

Detection efficiency in radiation measurement refers to the probability that a radiation quantum will produce a recorded pulse. This is crucial for accurate measurements, especially with low-intensity radiation, to minimize measurement time. Efficiency is divided into total efficiency (probability of any pulse) and peak efficiency (probability of depositing all energy).1

For charged particles like alpha and beta particles, detection efficiency is often near 100% because they deposit energy immediately upon entering the detector. However, for gamma rays, efficiency is lower as they can pass through the detector without interacting or deposit only partial energy. Peak efficiency for gamma rays is enhanced by using thicker detectors and materials with high atomic numbers to increase the likelihood of full energy absorption. Spectroscopy systems, which sort pulses by amplitude (related to deposited energy), are used to determine the energy distribution of incident radiation.12