Tutorials

Newer features (Sep 2025)

This presentation is an update to the Sep 2024 presentation, adding some additional features and improvements from the last year.

• 20250910_InterSpec_notable_features.pptx (135 MB)

Enrichment and “Isotopics by nuclides” tool (Sep 2025)

The “Isotopics by nuclides” tool in InterSpec allows performing advanced uranium and plutonium enrichment calculations, as well as general relative efficiency analysis with any nuclide. This presentation covers the tool as it is currently avaiable from the bleed edge automated build of the app, as well as what is expected to be included in the forethcomming v1.0.14 release.
Although v1.0.13 of InterSpec includes an in-development preview of the tool, it should not be used, as it has been greatly improved for v1.0.14.

• Use instructions and information (3 MB)

Detection Limits (Oct 2024)

InterSpec provides two tools for calculating detection limits: an easy to use tool to quickly place limits on activities using a single Region of Interest (ROI), as well as a more advanced tool that can use multiple ROIs, place limits on activity or detection distance, including with shielding, and uses a more sophisticated deconvolution methodology that takes into account peak and data shape.

• 20241023_detection_limit_calc_overview_UUR.pdf (6 MB)

Batch Analysis (Oct 2024)

When you have many similar spectra to fit peaks and/or activities/shielding with, there is now a batch analysis tool starting with InterSpec v1.0.13; however this version only has the “command line” version of the analysis. The “GUI” version of this batch tool is avaiable for Windows and Linux using the Bleeding Edge build build of InterSpec.

This presentation and example spectra will get you started using this capability.

• 20250611_InterSpec_batch_processing_instructions_rev2.pdf (8 MB)
• in-situ_example.zip

Newer features (Sep 2024)

This presentation briefly covers some of the more useful features added to InterSpec over the last couple years.

• 20240912_InterSpec_newer_features.pptx (110 MB)
• spectra.zip

A notable omission from this presentation is the Relative Efficiency Analysis tool, which you can find a presentation on below.

Some other features and notes are also available in the release notes here.

Relative Efficiency Analysis

Relative efficiency analysis allows you to determine enrichments and relative activities of nuclides in a spectrum, without knowing the detector response function, shielding, geometry, or distances. This presentation provides an overview of one of InterSpecs relative efficiency tools.

• 20240728_Isotopics_from_peaks-Rel-Eff-ana_SAND2024-10138O.pdf.
• Example spectra files:
  • Disk_C1153a_5_AE3204.n42
  • EnrichUraniumExample(20%)_withPeaks.n42
  • EX1_Cs134_Cs137.n42
  • nearby_example_HPGe.n42

For a focus on using this tool for Uranium enrichment, see:

• 20220922_InterSpec_RelEff_Peaks_SAND2022_15323TR.pdf.

InterSpec familiarization Apr 2022

• Part 1: Initial Familiarization (1 hour)
  • Presentation: InterSpec_familiarization.pdf.
  • Example spectrum file: example_problem_1.n42.
  • DRFs of commonly encountered detectors (for InterSpec v1.0.9): common_drfs.tsv.
• Part 2: 3 More In-depth usage (3 hours)
  • Presentation: InterSpec_more_in_depth_use.pdf.
  • Example spectra files:
    • Trinitite: Spectra provided by Dave Mercer of Los Alamos National Laboratory - they are sample “B” in the paper at https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.06240
      • trinitite_sample_b.n42
      • trinitite_sample_b_background.n42
      • My results fitting peaks: Trinitite_Sample_B_peaks_fit.n42
    • Energy calibration practice: th232_energy_cal_practice.n42
    • Uranium enrichment uranium_40%_HPGe_15cm_peaks_fit.n42
    • Surface contamination: Eu152_surface_contamination_uDetective.n42

Soil Contamination and Trace Sources

• 20211117_IAEA_HPGe_InterSpec_SAND2021-14557TR.pdf.
  The content in this PDF was presented as part of a IAEA webinar that can be watched here (requires IAEA NUCLEUS account).

Introduction To Spectroscopy with InterSpec

• 20210315_spectroscopy_intro_InterSpec.pptx.
• spectrum_files.zip.
• For a video of this presentation, see the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium website or on YouTube.

Overview Course Sep 2020

See:

• 20200915_InterSpec_intro_part1.pdf.
• 20200915_InterSpec_intro_part2.pdf.

Data files:

• All files spectrum_files.zip

An overview of using InterSpec for Analysis (Oct 2018)

See brief_ana_overview_InterSpec_Oct2018.pdf.

Data files:

• Example1.pcf
• Example1_background.pcf
• Example2d_worked.n42
• Example3_worked.n42

Making a Detector Response Function

Tutorial on making a detector response function in InterSpec: detector_characterization_brief_20190619.pdf.

Further information (also available within InterSpec in its help system) is in make_drf_help_20190619.pdf

• Example data for HPGe: drf_cal_data_HPGe.zip. See source_info.txt for source and detector information.

• Example data for NaI: drf_cal_data_3x3_NaI.zip. See source_info.txt for source and detector info.

Example Problems

• Determine nuclide, and distance a source is inside a cargo container in a high scatter environment
  • Problem Setup: cargo_container_question.pdf
  • Problem Solution: cargo_container_solution.pdf
  • Spectrum file with data: cargo_container_3x3NaI.n42
• Determine nuclide, activity, and depth of a buried source from a single HPGe measurement
  • Problem Setup: buried_source_question.pdf
  • Problem Solution: buried_source_solution.pdf
  • Spectrum file with data: buried_source_40%_HPGe.n42
• Determine Uranium enrichment and mass
  • Problem Setup: uranium_problem_one_question.pdf
  • Problem Solution: uranium_problem_one_solution.pdf
  • Spectrum file with data: uranium_40%_HPGe_15cm.n42

Other useful resources

• FRMAC Gamma Spectroscopist Knowledge Guide.: an freely available, extensive, and excellent, guide to gamma spectroscopy; available here (osti.gov) and here (nnss.gov)
• High Resolution Gamma-Ray Spectrometry Analyses For Normal Operations and Radiological Incident Response: available here (epa.gov)
• The Passive Nondestructive Assay of Nuclear Materials: freely available, extensive, and deep gamma spectroscopy and theory guide, available here (lanl.gov). Its 2007 addendum, available here (lanl.gov), contains a plethora of additional information and analysis techniques.
• IAEA Nuclear Security Detection Sciences and Technology Webinars, which include a couple presentation on using InterSpec, with some further videos here (requires IAEA NUCLEUS account to access).
• Draft specification for representing spectra in a QR code or URI: spectrum_in_a_qr_code_uur_latest.pdf (implemented in InterSpec as of v1.0.11), and a quick overview: 20230829_spectra_in_a_QR-code_SAND2023-08778O.pdf.