Derivation of the dead-time correction equation for a radioactivity detector.

Abstract

When a radioactive source is being counted, a detected disintegration cannot be recorded during a Dead-Time period. In this report experiments are described which show that the graph of the distribution of detected disintegrations during Dead-Time periods is a horizontal line. Based on this observation, an alternative derivation is produced of the widely used Dead-Time correction equation for a radioactivity detector.