Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Brehova 7, Prague, 115 19, Czech Republic.
The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Brno, Centre for Paleolithic and Paleoanthropology Dolni Vestonice, Cechynska, 363/19, CZ-602 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
Appl Radiat Isot. 2020 Dec;166:109292. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109292. Epub 2020 Jul 26.
At the time when the importance of the interdisciplinary research increases, the nuclear analytical techniques supported by the small research reactors represent a useful tool for investigation of human society, culture, history etc. The historical, archaeological, and palaeontological samples and objects of cultural heritage can be easily studied using the radioanalytical methods such as the neutron activation analysis. This paper deals with the detailed investigation of fragments of mammoth remains from the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic site Pavlov VI by means of the instrumental neutron activation analysis at the Training Reactor VR-1 of the Czech Technical University in Prague. Six mammoth hard tissue samples (fragments of bones, tusk, and molar) from the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences were irradiated in the dry vertical irradiation channel with thermal neutron field (φ=2×10cms) at maximum reactor power (80 W). The activated mammoth samples were analysed employing the nuclear γ-spectrometry and semiconductor HPGe detector, and the composition of the remains was determined (qualitative and quantitative analysis). The presence of Na, Cl, K, As, Fe, Sr, Mn, Br, I, Ba, and U was revealed in studied mammoth samples. Based on obtained production rates, the concentrations of Fe, Sr, Na, K, As, and U were determined. The results presented in this paper show clearly that the low-power Training Reactor VR-1 is excellent tool for the neutron activation analysis experiments within the interdisciplinary research and can provide experimental data important for archaeologists and palaeontologists.
在跨学科研究变得日益重要的今天，小型研究堆所支持的核分析技术代表了一种用于调查人类社会、文化和历史等领域的有用工具。历史、考古和古生物学样本以及文化遗产的文物都可以很容易地使用放射性分析方法，如中子活化分析来进行研究。本文详细研究了捷克技术大学布拉格 VR-1 培训反应堆中的仪器中子活化分析，对从中石器时代晚期至新时期早期遗址帕夫洛夫六区（Pavlov VI）采集的猛犸象遗骸碎片进行了研究。六个猛犸象硬组织样本（骨骼、象牙和臼齿碎片）来自捷克科学院考古研究所，在反应堆最大功率（80 W）下，于干燥垂直辐照通道中用热中子场（φ=2×10 ¹³ cm ⁻² s ⁻¹ ）进行辐照。使用核 γ 能谱法和半导体 HPGe 探测器对活化后的猛犸象样本进行了分析，并确定了遗骸的组成（定性和定量分析）。在研究的猛犸象样本中发现了 Na、Cl、K、As、Fe、Sr、Mn、Br、I、Ba 和 U 等元素的存在。根据获得的生成率，确定了 Fe、Sr、Na、K、As 和 U 的浓度。本文所呈现的结果清楚地表明，低功率培训反应堆 VR-1 是跨学科研究中中子活化分析实验的绝佳工具，可为考古学家和古生物学家提供重要的实验数据。
