Effective atomic number of Mn–Co–Fe2O3 ternary alloys using the Rayleigh to Compton scattering ratio

The objective of this work is to determine effective atomic number (Zeff) of Fe2O3(0.2)–Mnx–Coy (x + y = 0.8) ternary alloys using scattering of gamma photons and to compare available methods used to calculate Zeff. For this purpose, we have developed a fitting equation using the ratio of Rayleigh (R) to Compton (C) scattering intensity, R/C for the calculation of effective atomic number of ternary alloy (i.e., Mn–Co–Fe2O3). R and C scattering intensities for the given materials have been measured using a mono-energetic beam of 59.54 keV gamma rays and a scattering angle of 130° (x = 4.36 Å−1). The R/C ratios of elements with 20 ≤ Z ≤ 30 were used to constitute the best fit equation. R/C scattering ratios, when plotted as a function of atomic number, results in a fitted equation, which is then used for derivation of Zeff of the alloys. Also, experimental R/C values were used to determine effective atomic number of the alloys by using interpolation procedure. For comparison, Zeff of alloys were also calculated using different methods. Maximum relative differences between Zeff for experimental and theoretical results were found to be ≤8.04% (exp. 1 (fitting) versus method 6) and were found to be ≤8.99% (exp. 2 (interpolation) versus method 7) indicating a good agreement for the chosen alloys.