Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost Compact Dosimeter/Spectrometer for Radiation Dose Rate and Radioactivity Measurements

A pocket-sized dosimeter/spectrometer with 1-cm3 cerium-doped gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet, GAGG(Ce), scintillation crystal was evaluated for its application in radioactivity measurements. The device was used (1) for the measurement of in situ ambient gamma dose rates, (2) as a car-borne dosimeter to measure dose rates along the roads, and (3) for recording the energy spectra from different environmental samples by placing it inside the lead shield. The dosimeter showed relative uncertainties better than 10% for dose-rate measurements of about 30 nSv h-1 and higher when measurements were performed for 30 min or longer. As a spectrometer, it revealed the typical features of environmental gamma-ray spectra. Energy spectra from radon charcoal canisters exposed to different indoor radon concentrations demonstrated the capability of the device to study variations in radon progeny gamma-ray spectra.