Effects in K X-ray fluorescence spectra due to Compton scattering in the target

In a previous study of our group, it has been shown that broad continua adjacent to the full-energy peaks (the “shoulders”) in the spectra of 59.537 keV γ-rays emitted from a standard Am241 calibration source are due to Compton scattering of γ-rays in the source plate (mass of only 0.59 g). An extension of that work is presented with the aim to show that the analogous shoulder spectra also appear in the K X-ray fluorescence spectra, and are due...