Evaluation of beta ray maximum energy using sCMOS Imager

Various radionuclides are generated at nuclear facilities through irradiation processes and as byproducts of nuclear fuel. Identifying beta ray emitting nuclides is particularly challenging because, unlike alpha or gamma rays, they exhibit continuous energy spectra without discrete peak structures. This study investigates methods for extracting energy spectra and track information from sCMOS imager data to determine the maximum beta ray energy, which is essential for nuclide identification. Seven types of beta ray emitting sources (63Ni, 147Pm, 60Co, 36Cl, 204Tl, 137Cs, and 90Sr/90Y) were utilized. From the resulting sCMOS images, we extracted both the energy deposited on the sensor and the morphological characteristics of the particle tracks. For low-energy nuclides such as 63Ni (67 keV), the maximum beta ray energy could be determined directly from the deposited energy spectrum. For higher-energy nuclides, we distinguished between two distinct cases: full energy deposition and partial deposition resulting from sensor transmission. By analyzing these data, we identified parameters that correlate strongly with the maximum beta ray energy. These results demonstrate the potential of sCMOS sensors for the effective identification of beta ray emitting radionuclides.