Determination of 252Cf Radioactive Source Activity: Comparing Benchmarking with GEANT4

Simulation software is a convenient tool for researchers to check and reference their concrete experiment results. Previous work by co-authors had determined the activity of a Californium-252 source through Helium-3 neutron absorption. In this study, GEANT4 was used to recreate the experiment. The simulated geometry included variable layers of borated polyethylene (neutron attenuator), an Cf-252 source, and a He-3 gas detector. The energy deposition of the particles generated by the neutron absorption were tracked. Results indicate that GEANT4 and the physical experiment agree within uncertainty–the calculated pulse height tallies from GEANT4 produced a suitable match to the measured pulse height spectrum. Useful behavior of GEANT4 software was recorded for future simulations on upcoming projects.