Determination of optimum gating fold, shape and width for analysis of high-fold gamma-ray coincidence data

An investigation to find the optimum gate width and shape for the analysis of high-fold gamma-ray coincidence data has been undertaken. Results are presented which determine the effectiveness of using ellipsoidal rather than cuboidal gates. We also demonstrate that only when optimum gating fold, shapes and widths are adopted, is it possible to utilize the full sensitivity of the new generation of gamma-ray spectrometers such as Gammasphere and Euroball.