USER GUIDE TO THE MIRD CD And SOFTWARE PACKAGE

USER%20GUIDE

User Manual:

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USER GUIDE TO MIRD CD AND RADTABS SOFTWARE
K. F. Eckerman and A. Endo
1. Basic information about the CD and software package
The MIRD monograph entitled “Radionuclide Data and Decay Schemes” includes a CD that provides electronic
files of the unabridged nuclear decay data for 333 radionuclides of 87 elements. The CD contains the following:
README.TXT: a file containing post-publication information
CONTENT.PDF: a file listing contents of the CD
SETUP.EXE: executable file to install the RADTABS software and associated data files
USER GUIDE.PDF: user guide to MIRD CD and RADTABS software this document
MIRD-07 data files:
o MIRD-07.NDX
o MIRD-07.RAD
o MIRD-07.BET
o MIRD-07.NSF
o MIRD-07.ACK
ARCHIVE Folders:
o SOURCE folder : RADTABS source code
o INPUT folder: EDISTR04 input files for nuclides of the MIRD collection
o OUTPUT folder: EDISTR04 output files for nuclides of the MIRD collection
o TABLES folder: EDISTR04 ASCII files of the tables in the monograph
o FIGURES folder: decay scheme figures
o AUGER folder: ASCII file of unabridged Auger-CK emission
o X-RAY folder: ASCII file of unabridged x-ray emission
The software RADTABS provides access to the nuclear decay data for a user-specified radionuclide and extracts the
energies and yields of the emitted radiations into ASCII files for use in subsequent calculations. RADTABS enables
the user to view the decay data in tabular and graphical form. RADTABS is intended for use on a personal computer
(PC) with Windows operating system (Win 98/2000/XP/Vista).
The CD contains a file, AUTORUN.INF, which invokes SETUP.EXE to install RADTABS when the CD is placed
in the CD drive. If this function has been disabled then, from Explorer, click on SETUP.EXE to install RADTABS.
AUTORUN can be bypassed by holding down the shift key when the CD is placed in the drive.
SETUP.EXE is a Windows installation procedure1 that installs RADTABS and its data files. The procedure creates a
folder with the default name MIRD07 on the hard drive, installs the software in this folder, and places the
RADTABS icon on the desktop. Three additional folders, below the main folder, are created. The data files are
contained in the folder DATA, this user guide and other documents of interest are in the folder REPORT, and all
output files created by RADTABS are written to the folder OUTPUT. Consult the README.TXT file, opened by
the install procedure, for some configuration options.
RADTABS is a console application developed using PowerBASICConsole Compiler2 with Console Tools™ and
Graphics Tools™ providing additional functionality3. Plots of the radiation emissions are created using DPlot Jr4.
Documents in the REPORT folder and some generated files can be viewed during a RADTABS session. The
capability to view these files depends on the user having associated the file extensions PDF and TXT with Acrobat
Reader5 and an ASCII editor (such as Microsoft‟s Notepad), respectively.
1 The install package was created using Inno Setup compiler available from http://www.innosetup.com.
2 PowerBASIC, Inc.; 1978 Tamiami Trail S. #200; Venice, FL 34293. See http://www.powerbasic.com/.
3 Perfect Sync, Inc. 6511 Franklin Woods Dr., Traverse City, MI. See http://perfectsync.com/.
4 HydeSoft Computing, Inc., 110 Roseland Drive, Vicksburg, MS 39180. See http://www.dplot.com/index.htm.
5 Adobe Acrobat Reader of Adobe Inc. is available from http://www.pdf-2007.com/index.asp.
2
2. Information on the nuclear decay data files
The nuclear decay data are embodied in five formatted (hence readable with an ASCII editor) direct-access files,
each with the root name MIRD-07. The file MIRD-07.RAD contains the data on the absolute intensities and mean6
or discrete energies of the radiations emitted by the nuclides addressed in the MIRD monograph. This file contains
data for all emitted radiations rather than the abbreviated data tabulated in the monograph; i.e., the cutoff on the
number of radiations used in the monograph has not been applied to the data of the electronic files. ASCII files of
the abbreviated data, the data of the tables in the monograph, can be found in the archive folder TABLE of the CD.
The file MIRD-07.BET, contains the beta spectra for all beta emitters in the collection. EDISTR04 (1), the software
used to derive the energies and intensities of the emitted radiations, computes the spectrum for each beta transition
to determine the mean beta energy of the transitions and tabulates the composite spectrum for all beta transitions of
the radionuclide. The composite spectra in this file were not presented in the monograph. Spectra were synthesis for
delayed beta emissions following spontaneous fission by assuming first forbidden-unique transitions in nuclei of
atomic numbers 39 (yttrium) and 58 (cerium).
The file MIRD-07.ACK contains the Auger and Coster-Kronig, hereafter denoted as Auger-CK, electron spectra for
selected radionuclides. In the RAD file these discrete emissions were collected in no more that 15 groups for each
decay mode of the radionuclide. Only the collective data, over all decay modes, were reported in the monograph.
The spectrum of neutrons accompanying spontaneous fission is contained in the file MIRD-07.NSF. In the MIRD-
07 collection, only Pu-238 and Cf-252 undergo spontaneous fission. These spectral data were not presented in the
monograph.
To facilitate access to the data of the MIRD-07.RAD, MIRD-07.BET, MIRD-07.ACK, and MIRD-07.NSF files, an
additional file, MIRD-07.NDX, was constructed. A brief description of each of these five files is presented below.
For convenience, the files are referred to by their extensions, i.e., NDX, RAD, BET, ACK, and NSF.
Index File: MIRD-07.NDX
The NDX file serves as the entrance into the larger radiation (RAD) and spectral (BET, ACK, and NSF) data files.
The NDX file contains one record for each nuclide of the collection. The nuclide record contains fields specifying
the location of (or pointer to) the nuclide‟s record in the RAD, BET, ACK, and NSF files. In addition to these
pointers, the record contains fields giving the nuclide‟s physical half-life, decay mode (e.g., alpha or beta), identity
of radioactive decay products (daughters), fraction of the nuclear transformations forming each daughter (so-called
branching fraction), the total energies emitted by alpha, electron, and photon emission (including electrons and
photons accompanying spontaneous fission), and other supportive data. A full description of the NDX records is
given in Table 1. A file (MIRD-07 LIST.TXT) listing the 333 radionuclides of the MIRD-07 collection is in the
REPORT folder.
The records of the index file have been sorted by the nuclide field, making it possible to use a binary search
algorithm to quickly locate the record of the radionuclide of interest. While the purpose of the NDX file is to provide
entrance into the other data files, it is of considerable utility in its own right. For example, RADTABS constructs the
decay chain headed by a radionuclide using only information in the NDX file.
Radiation File: MIRD-07.RAD
The records of the RAD file contain the data on the energy and yield of each radiation emitted in nuclear
transformations of the radionuclide. No cutoff is applied to the number of radiations in this file. The fields of the
RAD records are described in Table 2. The first record (header record) for the nuclide contains the name of the
nuclide, its half-life, and the number of radiation records that follow. The radiation record (data record) of each
emitted radiation have the following fields: (1) an integer code (ICODE) that identifies the radiation type; (2) the
6 Mean values are reported for beta particles, Auger and Coster-Kronig electron groups, and the radiations emitted
during spontaneous fission fission fragments, neutrons, and delayed beta emission.
3
absolute yield of the radiation (i.e., number per nuclear transformation); (3) the unique or average energy of the
radiation (MeV); and (4) a two-character mnemonic denoting the radiation type. The ICODE code and the
mnemonic are defined in Table 3.
The radiation records are ordered by radiation type and by increasing energy. The radiations are listed in the
following seven groups;
photons: discrete energies and yields of -ray - including prompt and delayed photons accompanying
spontaneous fission (ICODE 1), characteristic x-rays (ICODE 2), and annihilation photons (ICODE 3)
beta particles: mean energies and yields of positron transitions (ICODE 4) and negatron transitions
(ICODE 5)
monoenergetic electrons: internal conversion electrons (ICODE 6) and Auger-CK electrons (ICODE 7)
alpha particles: discrete energy and yield of alpha particles (ICODE 8)
alpha recoil nuclei: discrete energy and yield of recoil nuclei (ICODE 9)
fission fragments: mean energy and yield of fragments (ICODE 10)
neutrons: mean energy and yield of neutrons (ICODE 11)
The records of the first five groups are sorted by increasing energy. This sorting facilitates interpolation of energy-
dependent functions, e.g., the energy-dependent specific absorbed fraction data for the radiation type. The
mnemonic can be used to identify a particular radiation type within its group (for example, annihilation photon,
delayed gamma rays, etc.). The maximum number of records in the RAD file for a nuclide is 2497 for Tb-149. The
maximum number of the photon is 441 (Tb-149), beta transitions 67 (Bi-214), discrete electrons 2028 (Tb-149), and
alpha transitions 45 (Th-227).
Beta Spectra File: MIRD-07.BET
The BET file contains the beta spectrum for each beta emitter in the MIRD-07 collection. The spectral data are
tabulated on a fixed logarithmic-type energy grid. For each nuclide, the header record gives the name of the nuclide
and the number of data records that follow. The fields of the data record contain the electron energy E (MeV) and
the number of electrons emitted per nuclear transformation with energy between E and E + dE. The maximum
number of records in the BET file for a radionuclide is 134 (Cu-67). The structure of the records of the BET file is
given in Table 4.
Auger-CK Electron Spectra File: MIRD-07.ACK
For 126 selected nuclides, the Auger-CK electron spectra are contained in the ACK file. These emissions were
collapsed into no more than 15 groups for each decay mode in the RAD file. The maximum number of records in the
ACK file is 3015 (for Hg-195m and Hg-197m). The fields of the header record contain the name of the nuclide and
the number of data records that follow. The data records contain the electron energy E (eV), the yield (number of
electrons of that energy per nuclear transformation), and an identification of the atomic transition. The format of the
records is given in Table 5. A file listing the 126 selected nuclides is contained in the REPORT folder
(AUGER LIST.TXT).
Neutron Spectra File: MIRD-07.NSF
The NSF file contains the spectrum of neutrons accompanying spontaneous fission. In the MIRD-07 collection, only
Pu-238 and Cf-252 decay by spontaneous fission. For each nuclide, the header record gives the name of the nuclide,
the branching fraction for spontaneous fission, and the number of data records that follow. The data records (52
records) define the neutron energy bin (or energy group) and the number of neutrons per nuclear transformation in
that bin. The format of the records of the NSF file is given in Table 6.
4
3. Air kerma for ideal point source
The quantity air kerma is a measure of the strength of a radiation field. Kerma, an acronym for the kinetic energy
released per unit mass, is the kinetic energy of charged particles liberated by photon and neutron interactions per
unit mass. The NDX file includes the quantity as a measure of the radiation field in the vicinity of a point source of
the radionuclides.
3.1. Air Kerma-Rate Constant
The nuclide records in the NDX file include a field containing the air kerma-rate constant. This constant, a
characteristic of a radionuclide, is defined in terms of an ideal point source. The International Commission on
Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) (2) defined the constant as
AKlΓ/
2
where
K
is the air kerma rate
due to photons of energy greater than at a distance l in vacuum from a point source of the radionuclide of activity
A. The constant is the SI equivalent to the earlier quantity referred to as the specific gamma constant. The photons
addressed in the ICRU definition include gamma rays, characteristic x rays, and inner bremsstrahlung; the latter is
not addressed in the MIRD-07 collection. Annihilation radiation associated with positron emitters and photons
accompanying spontaneous fission, addressed in the collection, are not included in the definition. In a source of
finite size, attenuation and scattering of the emitted photons occurs, and external bremsstrahlung will be produced as
emitted electrons slow down within the source. In addition, any medium between the source and the point of
measurement will give rise to absorption and scattering, external bremsstrahlung, and annihilation radiation. In
many cases, these processes can substantially influence the observed kerma rate. The constant, as defined by ICRU,
can be computed for a radionuclide as
i
iiik EYρμΓ )/(
π4
1
(1)
where (
k/
)i is the mass energy-transfer coefficient in air for photons of energy Ei emitted by the nuclide with yield
Yi. The summation is over all photons of energy greater than . The value of used here is 10 keV. The mass
energy-transfer coefficients are from Shultis and Faw (3).
3.2. Point Source Air-Kerma Coefficient
As noted above, the air kerma-rate constant does not consider the annihilation radiation associated with positron
emission and the neutron and photon radiations accompanying spontaneous fission. To address these radiations, the
air-kerma coefficient
for a hypothetical point source is defined here as
iIiii
iiiikair EEkEEYEYρμK),(),()/(
π4
1
11,
(2)
and is included in the nuclide record of the NDX file. The summation in the first term of Eqn 2 extends over all
photon of energy greater than , including annihilation radiation arising from position emission and the delay and
prompt gamma radiations accompanying spontaneous fission. The second term of Eqn 2 is the contribution to air
kerma of neutron accompanying spontaneous fission with yield
),( 1ii EEY
per nuclear transformation and
),( 1ii EEk
denotes the average value of the neutron air kerma coefficient (4) over energy Ei and Ei+1. Only neutrons
of energy greater than (10 keV) are considered. The constant and the coefficient are numerically equal except in
the cases of positron or spontaneous fission decay. The cautionary statements above regarding the air kerma-rate
constant and the observed kerma rate for a real source in air are applicable to the coefficient as well.
5
4. Basic operation and features of the RADTABS software
RADTABS can be invoked by clicking on its desktop icon. To access the records for a radionuclide of interest the
user clicks on the chemical symbol of the element in the periodic table. As seen in Fig. 1, displayed in the lower
right corner of the screen is the name of the element and its symbol over which the mouse cursor is located. The
mouse cursor is not evident in the figure but was over the Tc cell of the periodic table. If the MIRD-07 collection
contains no radioisotopes of the element (e.g., for He, Li, B, etc.) then the phrase “No Dataappears in the lower
right corner in place of the chemical symbol. To view the data for a radionuclide, left click the mouse over the
element and select the isotopes of interest (see Fig. 2). If only a single radioisotope of the element is included in the
collection (e.g., H-3 is the only radioisotope of hydrogen), then clicking on these elements result in the display of the
summary report for the available isotope. If multiple radioisotopes of the element are include in the collection then a
menu of the available isotopes is displayed as in Fig. 2. Following selection of the isotope of interest, a summary
report is displayed giving the physical half-life, decay mode, specific activity, and radioactive progeny of the
radionuclide followed by a tabulation of its emissions as shown in Fig. 3 for Tc-99m.
Fig. 1. RADTABS’s interface for selecting radioisotopes of the elements in MIRD-07.
6
Fig. 2. Menu to select an isotope of technetium.
Fig. 3. Summary report of Tc-99m emissions.
7
The summary report lists for each emitted radiation type, the number of records in the RAD file, their yield (per
nuclear transformation), total emitted energy (MeV per nuclear transformation), mean emitted energy (MeV), and
the equilibrium absorbed dose quantity Δ (Gy kg nt-1). Nuclear transformation (Bq s) is abbreviated as nt in the
display. The 13 radiations groups of the summary report are denoted as: Gamma rays, X-rays, Annh photons, Beta+,
Beta-, IC electrons, Auger electrons, Alpha particles, Fission fragments, Neutrons, Prompt gamma, Delayed gamma,
and Delayed beta. In the event photons of energy greater than 10 keV are emitted, the air kerma-rate constant and
air-kerma coefficient are displayed.
The last line of the display delineates actions assigned to the function keys F1 through F7. These keys can be
pressed at any time. The first three keys act on the displayed nuclide while the action of the other keys is not specific
to a nuclide. The key assignments are summarized below and described in more detail in the paragraphs that follow.
Function Key
Action
F1
Export to ASCII files the nuclear decay data for the displayed nuclide
F2
Show the decay chain headed by the displayed nuclide and tabulate the cumulative energy
associated with the chain members
F3
Graphically display the beta and neutron spectra (continuous in energy) and line spectra for the
discrete energies of photons, IC electrons, alpha, and Auger-CK electrons
F4
List the radionuclides of the collection sorted by various characteristics and other attributes of
the MIRD-07 collection see details below
F5
Given an alpha or photon emission of known energy, a search of the RAD file is undertaken to
associated the radiation with a radionuclide of the MIRD-07 collection
F6
Display documents in the REPORT folder
F7
Display the usual software credit screen
F1 key: Export nuclide data
If the F1 key is pressed while the summary report on the emissions of a radionuclide is displayed, then the
unabridged (no restriction on number of radiations) data on the emitted radiations of the nuclide is extracted from
the data files and written to ASCII files in the OUTPUT folder. In the case addressed in Fig. 3 (Tc-99m), the
following files are created:
The name of the output files is constructed from the nuclide name with the extension being the extension of the file
from which the data were extracted. The second line in each output file is the header record of the nuclide in the data
file from which the data are extracted. A partial listing of the Tc-99m.RAD file follows.
8
Output File Tc-99m.RAD for Tc-99m
Tc-99m 6.015h 143
T1/2 = 6.015h Decay Mode: ITB-
Radiations of each type listed in increasing energy
Number of photon radiations: 86
Number of beta radiations: 3
Number of monoenergetic electron radiations: 54
ICODE Y (/nt) E(MeV) Mnemonic
START RADIATION RECORDS
2 5.49690E+00 7.87678E-06 X
: : : : : : : : : : : : : :
1 6.65489E-11 2.17260E-03 G
2 1.69925E-06 2.23236E-03 X
: : : : : : : : : : : : : :
1 9.69400E-07 3.22400E-01 G
5 1.07767E-06 3.01202E-02 B-
: : : : : : : : : : : : : :
6 5.99387E-11 3.22400E-01 IE
END RADIATION RECORDS
This file begins with a few brief comment lines and lists, for each radiation type, the number of records in the file.
The decay data are bracketed between a start and end delimiter (“START RADIATION RECORDS” and “END
RADIATION RECORDS”, respectively). The radiation records are in the format of the MIRD-07.RAD file which is
detailed below. See Table 2 for the definitions of ICODE and the mnemonic.
The Tc-99m.BET file begins with a few comment lines and the spectral records, extracted from the MIRD-07.BET
file, bracketed by start and end delimiters. A few lines from the Tc-99m.BET file are listed below.
Output File Tc-99m.BET for Tc-99m
Tc-99m 100
Beta Spectrum for Tc-99m
Number of energy points: 100
E(MeV) P(E) dE
START RADIATION RECORDS
0.00000 2.319E-04
0.00010 2.318E-04
:: ::
0.40000 1.990E-06
0.43618 0.000E+00
END RADIATION RECORDS
For selected radionuclides, Tc-99m being one, detailed spectra of the Auger-CK electron emissions are contained in
the ACK file. While this level of detail is not necessary in calculations of mean absorbed dose, it is of interest in
microdosimetric calculations, e.g., the dose to the cell nucleus from an emitter incorporated within the nucleus.
Below is an excerpt from the Tc-99m.ACK file.
Output File Tc-99m.ACK for Tc-99m
Tc-99m 968
Auger/Coster-Kronig Spectra for Tc-99m
Number of electrons: 968
START RADIATION RECORDS
Y(/nt) E(eV) transition
6.57103E-05 3.34000E+00 M1 M4 M5
9
1.66012E-04 7.28000E+00 M1 M5 M5
:: :: :: :: ::
1.26734E-11 2.20300E+04 K N3 O1
END RADIATION RECORDS
In the case of Tc-99m, the file includes data on the emission of 968 discrete Auger-CK electrons. The unit of the
electron energy in this file is eV. For Tc-99m, the energy of the Auger-CK electrons ranges over four decades.
If data for Pu-238 or Cf-252 are requested, a file of the neutron spectra associated with the spontaneous fission
process is created. Below is an excerpt from the Cf-252.NSF file.
Output File Cf-252.NSF for Cf-252
Cf-252 3.092E-02 52
Neutron Spectra for Cf-252
Number of energy bins: 52
E1 (MeV) E2 (MeV) Yield (/nt)
START RADIATION RECORDS
4.14E-07 1.00E-06 1.85105E-11
1.00E-06 1.00E-05 1.15581E-09
1.00E-05 5.00E-05 1.27176E-08
5.00E-05 1.00E-04 2.56849E-08
:: :: :: :: :: ::
1.20E+01 1.30E+01 3.82221E-05
1.30E+01 1.40E+01 1.82774E-05
1.40E+01 1.50E+01 8.66434E-06
END RADIATION RECORDS
F2 key: Show the decay chain
The decay of some radionuclides results in formation of radioactive nuclei (daughters) and potentially a serial decay
chain. The MIRD-07 collection includes only those daughter products judged to be of dosimetric significance. For
example, the alpha decay of Am-241 (T1/2 = 432.2 y) forms Np-237 (T1/2 = 2.14 x 106 y). Because of the long half-
life of Np-237 the formation of this daughter and all subsequent daughters are of no dosimetric importance and thus
not included in the MIRD-07 collection. In some cases daughters were not included if formed by a low fraction of
the parent‟s nuclear transformations. For example, 2.2 x 10-5 nuclear transformations of Eu-147 (T1/2 = 24.1 d) forms
Pm-143 (T1/2 = 265 d). Because of this low yield, Pm-143 is not included in the collection. For information on the
complete serial decay chains see Table 4.1 of Ref. 1 which is in the REPORT folder as JAERI1347.PDF.
The F2 key is used to view the decay chain of the displayed radionuclide as illustrated below for Th-227. After
clicking on Th in the periodic table, the summary report for Th-227 is displayed and its decay chain, shown below,
is displayed by pressing the F2 key. The values under the columns headed by f1, f2, and f3 denote the fractions of
the nuclear transformations of the nuclide in the second column that form the daughter nuclei shown immediately to
the right of those fractions. For example, 0.9972 (99.72%) of Bi-211 nuclear transformations form Tl-207 and
0.00276 (0.276%) transformations form Po-211. Note that this chain diverges at Bi-211 however, both Tl-207 and
Po-211 decay to the stable isotope Pb-207.
10
The decay chain information is presented in two screens when the length of the chain is greater than seven members,
as in the Th-227 case. Upon continuing the display, the additional information provides an evaluation of the
potential dosimetric importance of each chain member.
Briefly, RADTABS constructs and displays a table of activities, nuclear transformations, and cumulative energies of
the chain members after 100 y, assuming a unit activity of the pure parent (e.g., 1 Bq of Th-227) present at time
zero. The cumulative energy of alpha, electron (including beta), and photon emissions for the chain is shown in the
right three columns. The length of the chain that accounts for 99% of the total emitted energy over the 100 y period
is calculated for each energy type. For Th-227, the suggestion is made that, for dosimetric purposes, the chain could
be truncated after the seventh member (Tl-207) as the contribution of Po-211 to the total energy of each radiation
type is not significant. This suggestion reflects the small fraction of Bi-211 decays (2.76 x 10-3) forming Po-211.
Although the guidance is derived over a time period pick of an arbitrary length, it has proven to be useful when
dealing with decay chains headed by or including long-lived radionuclides. In any event, the user must make the
decision regarding truncation of the chain in his specific application.
F3 key: Plot of radiation emissions
This function key generates a series of plots of the yield of the emitted radiations of the displayed radionuclide as a
function of energy. In the case of beta (negatron and positron) and neutron emissions (spontaneous fission) the plots
are a continuous function of energy. For radiations of discrete energy (alpha, photon, etc.) line plots are generated.
11
Fig. 2. Plots of the Tc-99m emissions, the detailed Auger-CK electron spectra is visible.
The type of axis and their numerical extent can be modified by selecting the „Options menu on DPlotJr‟s tool bar.
Additional information is available via the DPlotJr‟s „Help menu. The plots can be maximized within DPlotJr‟s
window or deleted by clicking the appropriate button in the upper right corner of the plot. Clicking the maximized
button will result in all plots being maximized. The „Window‟ menu on the toolbar is then used to select a specific
plot for viewing. If the nuclide emits a single radiation type, the plot is maximized upon its creation, e.g., the beta
spectrum for H-3. RADTABS can be directed to maximize all plots upon creation by adding a file (it can an empty)
named DPlotJr.INI to the DATA folder.
F4 key: Nuclide lists
The function key F4 results in RADTABS creating a number of tables that characterize the radionuclides of the
MIRD-07 collection and the collection itself. These tables are written to files named NucList-X.TXT, where X
corresponds to the index of requested item in the menu of available tasks. After generating the file, RADTABS
opens it using the ASCII editor registered to open files with the extension TXT. The user is cautioned to be patient,
as creation of the information and the display of the file, in some instances, can take a bit of time. The menu items
are tabulated below.
12
Menu entries for characterizing the radionuclides in MIRD-07
Menu Item
Description
1. Atomic Number (Z)
List nuclides in order of atomic number
2. Physical Half-life
List nuclides by increasing physical half-life
3. Total Emitted Energy
List nuclides by increasing emitted energy
4. Decay by Alpha Emission
List nuclides that undergo alpha decay
5. Decay by Beta Minus Emission
List nuclides that undergo (negatron) decay
6. Decay by Beta Plus Emission
List nuclides that undergo + (positron) decay
7. Decay by Internal Transition
List nuclides that undergo internal transition decay
8. Decay by Spontaneous Fission
List nuclides that undergo spontaneous fission
9. Detailed Auger-CK Spectra
List nuclides in the ACK file
10. Principle Alpha Emission
List nuclides by increasing energy of principle alpha emission
11. Principle Beta Transition
List nuclides by increasing energy of principle beta emission
12. Principle Photon Emission
List nuclides by increasing energy of principle photon emission
13. Point Source Air-Kerma Coefficient
List nuclides by increasing air-kerma coefficient
14. Serial Decay Chain
List the decay chain for the nuclides
15. Dimension of MIRD-07 Data
Tabulate the dimensions of the data collection
16. Check Integrity of Installed Files
Perform check sum verification of data files
The last two items serve to characterize the MIRD-07 collection from a computational standpoint. The penultimate
item interrogates the data files to determine the maximum number (dimension) of various quantities (radiations,
length of decay chain, etc.). The last item conducts a check (so-called checksum) on the integrity of the data files to
establish that the files have not been corrupted.
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F5 key: Identify unknown radionuclide
This function key provides a means to associate an observed alpha or photon emission with a radionuclide of the
MIRD-07 collection. For example, assume the emission of an alpha particle of energy 5.45 MeV has been observed.
Pressing the F5 key opens a screen within which the user defines the search by entering the observed energy. In
addition to the point-value for the alpha energy, a tolerance (or delta) in energy, in the example 0.01 MeV, is
provided.
A search of the RAD file is performed, as guided by information in the NDX file. The results appear on the screen
and are written to the file SCRATCH.TXT in the OUTPUT folder. In this case the screen display is
The information on the yield of radiations within the energy tolerance may be helpful in eliminating some candidate
nuclides. The efficacy of the search is limited to some extent by the number of nuclides in the MIRD-07 collection.
The search can lead to a substantial number of candidates, particularly for photons, and thus the SCRATCH.TXT
file may need to be consulted. RADTABS opens this file using the application associated with files with the
extension TXT, e.g., Microsoft Notepad or an ASCII editor.
F6 key: View files in the REPORT folder
The REPORT folder contains this document, reports produced by the authors during the course of the work leading
to the MIRD monograph, two files created via the F4 key discussed above, a file detailing the contents of the CD,
and other reports that provide additional information. The user can maintain a set of notes on the operation of
RADTABS by adding notes to the file MyNotes.TXT in the folder. Additional documents of interest (with extension
TXT or PDF) can be placed in the folder with the limitation that the selection menu is limited to 20 items.
F7 key: About
Provides the usual About screen associated with software.
14
5. Programmer’s notes
The MIRD-07 data files are formatted direct-access files. Each record of these files is of fixed length with a carriage
return and line feed so that the files are readable when opened with an ASCII editor. The length of the records, less
the carriage return and line feed, and number of records for each file are:
Length of Records in the Direct-Access Files
File
Record Length*
Number of Records
MIRD-07.NDX
201
334
MIRD-07.RAD
29
78,407
MIRD-07.BET
17
23,874
MIRD-07.ACK
32
131,571
MIRD-07.NSF
29
106
*Value does not include the carriage return and line feed.
The number of radiation records in the RAD file for a given nuclide, N, is contained in the header record of the
nuclide in the RAD file but it can be computed from the nuclide‟s record in the NDX file as
SFModeDecay,2NumberNumber
SFModeDecay,NumberNumber
5
5
1
5
5
1
i
i
N
where Number refers to the fields denoted as Number-1, Number-2 Number-5 in Table 1. The number of alpha
transitions, Number5, enters into the above equation twice since records are included in the RAD file for the kinetic
energy of the recoiling nuclei formed in alpha decay as well as the alpha particles themselves. The two additional
records for nuclides undergoing spontaneous fission are those of the mean energy of the fission fragments and
neutrons.
The source code for RADTABS is included in the folder SOURCE of the ARCHIVE folder on the CD as an aid to
those developing software for calculations of radiation dose. The functions and subroutines of the code can be
readily translated to other programming languages. Information on the dimension of the MIRD-07 collection and
potential dimensions of arrays can be generated by the penultimate menu item under the F4 key.
References
1. Endo A, Yamaguchi Y, and Eckerman KF. Nuclear Decay Data for Dosimetry Calculation: Revised Data
of ICRP Publication 38. Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, JAERI 1347, 2005.
2. ICRU. Fundamental Quantities and Units for Ionizing Radiation. ICRU Report 60. International
Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements, Bethesda, MD, 1998.
3. Shultis JK and Faw RE. Radiation Shielding, Prentice Hall, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ.
4. Chadwick MB, Barschall HH, Caswell RS, DeLuca PM, Hale GM, Jones DTL, MacFariane RE, Meulder
JP, Schuhmacher H, Schrewe UJ, Wambersie A, and Young PG. A consistent set of neutron kerma
coefficients from thermal to 150 MeV for biological important materials. Med. Phys. 26(6):974-991, 1999.
5. Audi G, Wapstra AH, and Thibault C. The AME2003 atomic mass evaluation. Nucl. Phys. A729:129-336,
2003.
15
Table 1. Structure of Records in MIRD-07.NDX File
Field
Format*
Description
Record #1 (2I4)
First
I4
Record number of first data record
Last
I4
Record number of last data record
Data Records (First, ..., Last) §
Nuclide
A7
Name of nuclide (parent); e.g., Am-241, Tc-99m
Half-life
A8
Half-life of nuclide
Units
A2
Half-life units: us - microsecond, ms - millisecond,
s second, m minute, d - day, and y year
Decay Mode
A8
A denotes alpha, B- beta minus, B+ beta plus,
EC electron capture, IT internal transition, and
SF spontaneous fission
Pointer-1
I7
Location of nuclide in MIRD-07.RAD file
Pointer -2
I7
Location of nuclide in MIRD-07.BET file
Pointer -3
I7
Location of nuclide in MIRD-07.ACK file
Pointer -4
I6
Location of nuclide in MIRD-07.NSF file
The next three fields are repeated as a block for radioactive daughter i, i = 1 to 3.
Daughter-i
A7
Name of daughter nuclide i
Pointer-i
I5
Location of daughter i in MIRD-07.NDX file
Branch-i
E11.0
Branching fraction to daughter i
E-alpha
E7.0
Energy of alpha emissions (MeV/nt)
E-electron
E8.0
Energy of electrons, including beta (MeV/nt)
E-photon
E8.0
Energy of photon emission (MeV/nt)
Number-1
I4
Number of photon of energy less than 10 keV
Number-2
I4
Number of photons of energy greater than 10 keV
Number-3
I4
Number of beta transitions
Number-4
I5
Number of monoenergetic electrons
Number-5
I4
Number of alpha transitions
AMU
E10.0
Atomic mass of radionuclide, see Ref. 5
Γ10
E10.0
Air kerma-rate constant (Gy-m2 (Bq s)-1)
Kair
E10.0
Point source air kerma coefficient (Gy-m2 (Bq s)-1)
*The format is expressed in FORTRAN notation, e.g., A8 denotes an alphanumic field of
length 8, I5 an integer field of length 5, and E11.0 a real numeric field of length 11.
§Format (A7,A8,A2,A8,3I7,I6,3(1X,A7,I5,E12.0),E7.0,2E8.0,3I4,I5,I4,E11.0, E10.0,E9.0)
16
Table 2. Structure of Records in MIRD-07.RAD File
Field
Format
Description
Nuclide Record (A7,1X,E10.0,A2,I9)
Nuclide
A7
Nuclide name; e.g., Tc-99m
T1/2
E10.0
Physical half-life of nuclide
Time unit
A2
Units of T1/2, see Table 1
N
I9
Number of data records
Data Record (1, …, N) (I2, 2E12.0,1X,A2)
ICODE
A2
Radiation type (see Table 3)
Yield
E12.0
Yield of the radiation (/nt)
Energy
E12.0
Energy of the radiation (MeV)
JCODE
A2
Mnemonic (see Table 3)
Table 3. Description of ICODE Variable
ICODE
Mnemonic
For ICODE
Description
1
G
PG
DG
Gamma rays
Prompt gamma rays*
Delayed gamma rays*
2
X
x-rays
3
AQ
Annihilation quanta
4
B+
Beta + particles
5
B-
BD
Beta particles
Delayed beta particles*
6
IE
IC electrons
7
AE
Auger electrons
8
A
Alpha particles
9
AR
Alpha recoil nuclei
10
FF
Fission fragments
11
N
Neutrons
Prompt and delayed radiations of spontaneous fission.
17
Table 4. Structure of Records in MIRD-07.BET File
Field
Format
Description
Nuclide Record (A7, 6X, I4)
Nuclide
A7
Nuclide name; e.g., Tc-99m
N
I4
Number of data records
Data Record (1, …, N) (F8.0, E9.0)
Energy
F8.0
Energy grid point (MeV)
Number
E9.0
Number of beta particles per MeV per nuclear
transformation at this energy
Table 5. Structure of Records in MIRD-07.ACK File
Field
Format
Description
Nuclide Record (A7, 2X, E10.0,A2,7x, I4)
Nuclide
A7
Nuclide name; e.g., I-123
T1/2
E10.0
Half-life of nuclide
Time unit
A2
Units of T1/2, see Table 1
N
I4
Number of discrete electron lines
Data Record (1, …, N) (E11.0, E12.0, 1X,A8 )
Energy
E11.0
Electron energy (eV)
Yield
E12.0
Number of electrons per nt at this energy
Transition
A8
Identification of atomic transition; e.g.,
L1 M2 M3
Table 6. Structure of Records in MIRD-07.NSF File
Field
Format
Description
Nuclide Record (A7, E10.0, 8X, I4)
Nuclide
A7
Nuclide name; e.g., Cf-252
BF
E10.0
SF branching fraction
N
I4
Number of energy bins
Data Record (1, …, N) (E8.0,E9.0,E12.0)
Energy-1
E8.0
Lower Energy (MeV)
Energy-2
E9.0
Upper Energy (MeV)
Yield
E12.0
Number of neutrons per nt in bin

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