169Tm Mössbauer uses the 8.40 keV level which is populated by the decay of 9.4 day 169Er. This isotope is prepared by neutron irradiation of 168Er. |
The source preparation was the most complex we have attempted to date. We started with 168Er2O3 which was reduced and alloyed with aluminium to form a thin foil of 168Er10Al90. The 169Er was then created by neutron activation in the McMaster Nuclear Reactor, Hamilton, Ontario. |
This spectrum is our first set of test data. The sample was TmB12, with both sample and source at room temperature. |
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The hyperfine splitting in TmFe2 is so
large even at room temperature, that our drive
could only reach the inner four
lines of the magnetic sextet. |