A Benchmark Gamma-Ray Skyshine Experiment

A benchmark gamma-ray skyshine experiment is described in which ⁶⁰Co sources were either collimated into an upward 150-deg conical beam or shielded vertically by two different thicknesses of concrete. A NaI(Tl) spectrometer and a high pressure ion chamber were used to measure, respectively, the energy spectrum and the 4π-exposure rate of the air-reflected gamma photons up to 700 m from the source. Analyses of the data and comparison to DOT discrete ordinates calculations are presented.