Maximal angular correlation in $\gamma-\gamma$ coincidences: a quantitative study

TL;DR

This paper presents an analytic expression for the angular distribution of maximally correlated gamma rays from a $^{22}$Na source, enabling easier testing and comparison with experimental data in nuclear physics labs.

Contribution

It introduces the first analytic formula for the angular distribution of maximally correlated gamma-ray pairs in coincidence measurements.

Findings

Derived an explicit analytic expression for angular distribution.

Validated the formula against laboratory measurements.

Facilitates comparison between theory and experiment in nuclear physics.

Abstract

The measurement of the angular distribution of maximally correlated annihilation gamma rays radiated in coincidence, like those emitted from a $^{22}\mathrm{Na}$ source, is a classic experiment that is nowadays ordinarily performed in Nuclear Physics laboratory classes. For the first time we present an analytic expression for such angular distribution, which can be easily tested and confronted with the laboratory measurements.