Numerical stability problems in the k(0)-standardization method for the case of short irradiation and counting times

The k(0)-standardization method of neutron activation analysis (NAA) is ver y sensitive to the irradiation and counting time during measurement of the induced radionuclide by gamma-spectrometry on the HP Ge detector. If the ir radiation and counting time of the sample and co-irradiated standard is rel atively short or the decay constant small, the application of the standard equation in the softwaree for the specific count rate may become numericall y unstable and the program aborts. In this work, attention is focused on th e direct influence of saturation and "measurement" factors on the specific count rate for simple decay and for more complex types calculated directly by exponential functions, and by an alternative form using a truncated Tayl or's series expression.