THICK-TARGET EXTERNAL-BREMSSTRAHLUNG SPECTRA OF PM-147 AND S-35 BETA-RAYS

External-bremsstrahlung spectra excited by soft beta particles of Pm-147 (E(beta)max = 225 keV) and S-35 (E(beta)max = 167 keV) in targets of Al, Cu, Sn, and Pb have been studied. The experimental and theoretical results are compared in terms of the number of photons of energy k per m0c2 per unit photon yield to exclude the uncertainty in the source strength measurement and overcome the inherent inadequacy of the normalization procedure used by earlier workers. The results of present measurements for medium- and high-Z elements show better agreement with the theory of Tseng and Pratt [Phys. Rev. A 3, 1714 (1976)] than with Elwert's corrections [Ann. Phys. (N.Y.) 34, 78 (1939)] to the Bethe-Heitler theory [Proc. R. Soc. London Ser. A 14, 83 (1934)], particularly at the higher-energy ends. However, for low-Z elements, both theories are found to be adequate.