Angle 5 is advanced quantitative gamma spectrometry software. It has been in use for since 1994 years in numerous gamma spectrometry based analytical laboratories worldwide.
Angle allows for the accurate determination of the activities of gamma spectroscopic samples, and thus is used for the quantification (i.e. spectrometry) of measurements. This is achieved by the calculation of detection efficiencies based on a solid and well known theoretical background, using the so called "efficiency transfer" (ET) method. In doing so, Angle calculates efficiencies for any given sample based on any other (reference) source. ET is a semi-empirical approach – it is a combination of both experimental evidence and mathematical elaboration.
Angle is broadly applicable (in environmental monitoring, nuclear industry, waste management, regulatory control, nuclear security and safeguards, medicine, research, education etc.) and extremely flexible – it fits to user’s needs and to most common laboratory circumstances/capabilities.
Angle is open and it does not represent a "black box" for the user: all parameters of the detector, sample, counting geometry etc. are under control and subject to modification.
In Angle you can specify any number of detectors you are using, including semiconductor (Ge) and scintillation (NaI) ones.
Angle supports six Ge detector types, and two NaI types. Both cylindrical and well detectors are supported. This covers vast majority of gamma-spectrometry systems in operation nowadays, which are built around these detector types.
There is no need for detector factory characterization and re-characterization; detector calibration is done by the user in a single and straightforward process, based on experimental evidence involving reliable calibrated sources. The choice of calibrated sources is flexible and up to the user – in principle, any source(s) can be used to that aim.
Angle has an intuitive graphical user interface, which makes it easy to use and to learn. It is designed and organized to be logical and intuitive.
Taking into account the extensive users’ feedback, many "touches" have been added to ease its use and to avoid misunderstandings and blunders in data entry.
Angle comes with a set of eight predefined demo detectors, one for each supported type. Demo detectors can be used for calculations even in demo mode, that is, even if Angle is not registered.
Demo calculations enable the users to run calculations and evaluate the results, so as to become more familiar with the scope and capabilities of the software without/before being registered.
This feature makes Angle a great educational tool which can be used for experimenting with virtual detectors in a virtual laboratory.
Since version 4, Angle uses an XML syntax for all its file types. This format allows easy integration with third-party applications (e.g. in-house developed software), or import to spreadsheet or even word processing software.
Being simple text files, they are also human-readable, so you can also use a simple text editor to view or edit them.
Angle 5 introduces exporting the calculation results to JSON and YAML formats to further increase applicability.
Together with the new XML-based file format, a set of command line parameters allows easy integration. This enables, for instance, thousands of calculations to be done in a couple of hours batch, making it suitable for research and scientific purposes (e.g. error propagation studies, control and optimization of spectrometry parameters, tracking sources of systematic errors, etc.).
Angle 5 brings the support for the correction of spectroscopic effects of true coincidence summing (“Cascade summing corrections”, CSC). Namely, radionuclides decay in more or less complex ways (“decay schemes”, or “transition cascades”, or “cascades”), emitting (quasi)concurrent gamma-rays which populate various peaks in the spectrum (the latter being collected/created by the counting device). Hence a peak may be populated by more than one transition. This effect is called cascade summing or true coincidence summing.
Cascade summing effects tend to diminish with increasing distance between the source and the detector, and become more prominent for close geometries (e.g. for “contact” measurements, or for Marinelli sources, or for well-type detectors), and can amount to tens of percent. As close geometries are practically obligatory for low activity measurements (most notably in environmental monitoring), the importance of proper CS corrections cannot be overestimated.
Using Angle, you are able to see the scaled image of your detectors, containers, geometries and even complete counting arrangements. The image is proportional, which is useful for noticing blunders in parameter entries, which would otherwise be hard to detect.
You can easily zoom in and out of the preview image and pan around it, as well as export it to one of four graphics formats: three raster (PNG, JPEG and BMP) and three vector (SVG, WMF and EMF), for use in your documents or web pages.
In Angle you can also see and export the graph of the calculated efficiency curve. It shows both the calculated efficiencies for selected energies and the fitted efficiency curve, together with the reference efficiency curve.
Angle allows you to share your data easily among different computers using the new import and export features. This saves time taken up by re-typing the parameters and avoids any possible mistakes caused by this.
It is now also possible to import parameters for detectors, containers, geometries, reference efficiency curves and energies from calculation parameter files and calculation results files.
Additionally, now it is possible to export the results to ORTEC GammaVision – both to efficiency calibration (EFT) and geometry correction (GEO) files.
Angle also supports reference data import and export from and to both ORTEC’s and Canberra’s spectrum emulation software.
Calculation results can be easily printed. It is possible to print the calculation results with the summary of all input parameters, counting arrangements schematics, as well as calculated efficiency curve.
A detailed report can be printed as well. The report contains both the results and all the input parameter data used in calculations. This makes the results traceable to the input values.
Angle 5 is a multilanguage application. You can easily switch among different languages anytime, from the configuration dialog box, with just a few clicks.
Currently, you can switch between English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Japanese language.
During more than 20 years on the market, Angle users have been receiving prompt direct support for any Angle-related issue – from simple queries to complex matters.
The Angle team is devoted to helping and assisting anytime – via email, but also phone calls, video conferences, etc, as needed.
Semiconductor and scintillation detector gamma-efficiency calculations