An Inter-comparison of three spectral-deconvolution algorithms for gamma-ray spectroscopy

This paper presents a comparison of three deconvolution techniques, Maximum Likelihood, Maximum Entropy and Linear Regularisation for the unconstrained deconvolution of gamma-ray spectra. These convert the raw energy-loss spectra obtained using a standard scintillation counter, into a good representation of the incident gamma-ray spectrum. This work is based on the use of an industry-standard 3×3 inch NaI detector. Both simulated and measured data have been deconvolved using the three algorithms to provide a direct comparison between the qualities of the deconvolved spectra. For applications in which it is important to derive an accurate estimate of the number of counts in a particular full-energy peak, the Maximum Likelihood Method has been shown to be superior.