Recent work has shown how to make an absolute measurement of the spectrum of X-rays emitted in an intense pulse at energies exceeding those which could be calibrated by previous methods. A problem arises in the evaluation of potential pump sources for a gamma ray laser, as well as in the simulation of nuclear weapons and in radiation therapy in medicine. The calibration is done by exposing layers of different materials, each of which is able to store as excitations of the constituent nuclei a sample of the intensity at a different energy. The stored energies can be accessed later for readout, but the technique currently is limited to energies less 1.5 million electron volt (MEV). A model is being developed and validated of the standardization process that is necessary to extend this new method to 6.0 MEV. The standardization of a calibration target for the range of 1.5 to 6.0 mev now becoming important in efforts to evaluate gamma ray laser materials would be implemented at a later stage. Benefits, when successfully developed as a diagnostic instrument, include the ability calibrate simply the spectral output of large sources of pulsed X-rays that currently exist, including uncalibrated linacs for radiation therapy in medicine.
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