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Abstract

Experiments looking for phenomena beyond the standard model substantially rely on environmental
background reduction. Therefore, it is crucial to any of these experiments to
conduct a precise material selection in order to ensure high radiopurity near the detector
volume. In many cases, this can be achieved by low-level gamma-spectroscopy. Detailed
knowledge of the characteristics of the spectrometers is required to determine the activity
of a sample.
Within this thesis, a coax well spectrometer, designed for low energy gamma spectroscopy,
has been reactivated. The geometry of the detector was implemented in a Monte Carlo
simulation. Characteristic parameters of the spectrometer such as the dead layer thickness
and the thickness of the end cap were determined by matching the simulation to the
measurement. The implemented software model was then used to estimate the different
background contributions and their expected reduction due to dedicated shielding.
The second part of this work addresses the sensitivity determination of germanium spectrometers.
A study with five different detectors was performed with a standardized procedure,
making it possible to compare different detector setups.