Use of Be(p,α) and Be(p,d) Reactions to Determine Be Content in Sapphire

Since natural coloured sapphire (α-Al₂O₃) commands a high gem stone market price there is a need for a reliable method of identifying artificially coloured sapphire that has an inherently lower value. Diffusing beryllium into sapphire at high temperatures results in a coloured stone virtually indistinguishable from a natural one. Beryllium can occur naturally in sapphire but at levels of <1 ppma. Beryllium diffused sapphire typically contains >10 ppma, which is difficult to determine in a non destructive way. It is possible to utilize nuclear reaction analysis techniques to determine the beryllium content in a macroscopically non destructive way. Kinematically ideal reactions are Be(p,α) and Be(p,d) which, for Ep = 0.5 to 0.9 MeV, exhibit distinct reaction product signatures well separated from other proton induced reactions in aluminium or oxygen. Due to the lack of comprehensive cross section data for the Be(p,α) and Be(p,d) reactions in the energy range of interest, a series of measurements were made at the Van de Graaff accelerator facility at Necsa to create a new data base. A further outcome of these measurements was a deviation in reported values for the non-Rutherfordian proton back-scatter cross section. These new data bases, which extend to Ep = 2.6MeV, can now facilitate a procedure for determining beryllium content in sapphire.