Abstract
Low background γ-ray spectrometry and neutron activation analysis were carried out on samples, such as roof tile and rock, that were exposed to the nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to determine the specific radioactivities of residual neutron-induced radionuclides such as 152Eu which was found first by in situ γ-ray spectrometry in Hiroshima1. The results reported here show that the variation of the apparent thermal neutron fluence with the slant distance from the explosion point, or air-zero point, of the nuclear weapon can be estimated even today in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This makes it possible to re-evaluate the space radiation doses due to the nuclear explosions in both cities.
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Imura, T., Nakanishi, T., Komura, K. et al. 152Eu in samples exposed to the nuclear explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nature 302, 132–134 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/302132a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/302132a0
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