Gama Işını Zırhlaması için Düşük-Z ve Yüksek-Z Malzemelerde Foton Etkileşim Kesitlerinin Baskınlık Grafikleriyle Sistematik Karşılaştırılması

Abstract

Bu çalışma, gama ışını zırhlama performansının farklı enerji bölgelerinde daha anlaşılır şekilde yorumlanmasını sağlamak amacıyla, düşük-Z’den yüksek-Z’ye kadar uzanan temsili malzemeler için foton etkileşim tesir kesitlerinin sistematik ve karşılaştırmalı bir analizini sunmaktadır. XCOM gibi veri tabanlarında kapsamlı tesir kesiti verileri mevcut olmasına rağmen, mevcut çalışmaların büyük çoğunluğu tekil malzemelere veya tablosal verilere odaklanmakta ve geniş enerji aralıklarında foton etkileşim mekanizmalarının göreli baskınlığına dair sınırlı bilgi sunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, fotoelektrik soğurma, Compton saçılması ve çift oluşumu dahil olmak üzere toplam ve kısmi zayıflatma katsayıları, seçilen malzemeler (B, Al, Si, Cu, W, Pb, su ve hava) için 1 keV–20 MeV enerji aralığında XCOM veri tabanından elde edilmiştir. Bu malzemeler rastgele seçilmemiş olup; nükleer, tıbbi, havacılık ve endüstriyel uygulamalarda yaygın olarak kullanılan zırhlama ve yapısal malzemeleri temsil etmektedir. Bu sayede fiziksel olarak anlamlı ve uygulamaya yönelik karşılaştırmalar yapılabilmiştir. Farklı etkileşim mekanizmalarının göreli katkılarını karşılaştırmak amacıyla baskınlık temelli bir görselleştirme yaklaşımı geliştirilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlar, foton enerjisi ve atom numarasına bağlı olarak etkileşim rejimleri arasında sistematik geçişler olduğunu göstermektedir. Düşük-Z malzemelerde geniş bir enerji aralığında Compton saçılması baskınken, yüksek-Z malzemelerde düşük enerjilerde fotoelektrik etki, yüksek enerjilerde ise çift oluşumu baskın hale gelmektedir. Bu çalışma yeni veri üretmekten ziyade, mevcut tesir kesiti verilerinin karşılaştırmalı ve görsel olarak yorumlanmasını sağlayan bir çerçeve sunmaktadır. Bu yaklaşım, foton-madde etkileşimlerinin daha iyi anlaşılmasını sağlamakta ve özellikle çok katmanlı veya kompozit zırhlama sistemlerinde malzeme seçimine yönelik ön değerlendirmeleri desteklemektedir.

Keywords

• Compton Saçılması
• Çift Oluşumu
• gama ışını zayıflatma
• zırhlama baskınlık görselleştirmesi
• XCOM veritabanı
• fotoelektrik etki
• radaysyon zırhlaması

Systematic Comparison of Photon Interaction Cross-Sections from Low-Z to High-Z Materials Using Dominance Graphs for Gamma-Ray Shielding

Abstract

This study presents a systematic and comparative analysis of photon interaction cross-sections for a representative set of materials spanning low-Z to high-Z regimes, aiming to improve the interpretability of gamma-ray shielding performance across different energy domains. Although extensive cross-sectional data are available in databases such as XCOM, most studies focus on individual materials or tabulated values, offering limited insight into the relative dominance of photon interaction mechanisms over wide energy ranges. In this work, total and partial attenuation coefficients—including photoelectric absorption, Compton scattering, and pair production—were obtained from the XCOM database for selected materials (B, Al, Si, Cu, W, Pb, water, and air) over the energy range of 1 keV to 20 MeV. These materials were not selected arbitrarily; they represent commonly used shielding and structural materials across nuclear, medical, aerospace, and industrial applications, enabling physically meaningful and application-relevant comparisons. A dominance-based visualization approach was developed to normalize and compare the relative contributions of photon interaction mechanisms across different materials. The results reveal systematic transitions between interaction regimes as a function of photon energy and atomic number. Low-Z materials are primarily governed by Compton scattering over a broad energy range, whereas high-Z materials exhibit dominant photoelectric absorption at low energies and increasing pair production at higher energies. Rather than generating new data, this study provides a comparative and visually interpretable framework for analyzing existing cross-sectional datasets. The approach facilitates a clearer understanding of photon–matter interactions and supports the preliminary selection of materials for gamma-ray shielding applications, particularly in multilayer or composite systems.

Keywords

• Gamma-ray attenuation
• photoelectric effect
• Compton scattering
• pair production
• shielding dominance visualization
• XCOM database
• raddiation shielding

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