International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Research Applications and Utilization of Accelerators
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AP/INT-04
Principles and Applications of Neutron Based Inspection Techniques T. Gozani Rapiscan Laboratories, Inc., Sunnyvale, United States of America Corresponding Author: tgozani@rapiscansystems.com Neutron based explosive inspection systems can detect a wide variety of substances of importance for a variety of purposes from national security threats (e.g., nuclear materials, explosives, narcotics) to customs dutiable goods, to hazardous substances to protect the environment. The inspection is generally founded on the nuclear interactions of the neutrons with the various nuclides present and the detection of resultant characteristic emissions. These can be discrete γ lines resulting from the thermal (n, γ) neutron capture process or inelastic neutron scattering (n, n'γ) occurring with fast neutrons. The two types of reactions are generally complementary. The capture process provides energetic and highly penetrating γ rays in most inorganic substances and hydrogen. Fast neutrons inelastic scattering provide relatively strong γ-ray signatures in light elements such as carbon and oxygen. In some specific important cases, unique signatures are provided by the neutron (n, γ) process in light elements such as nitrogen, where unusually high-energy γ rays are produced. This forms the basis for key explosive detection techniques. The detection of nuclear materials, both fissionable (e.g., 238 U) and fissile (e.g., 235U), is generally based on the fissions induced by the probing neutrons and detecting one or more of the unique signatures of the fission process. These include prompt and delayed neutrons and prompt and delayed γ rays. These signatures are not discrete in energy (typically they are continua) but temporally and energetically significantly different from the background, thus making them readily distinguishable. The penetrability of fast neutrons as probes, and the γ rays and fission neutrons as signatures makes neutron interrogation applicable to the inspection of large conveyances such as cars, trucks, and marine containers. Neutron based inspection techniques have a broad applications. They can be used as stand-alone for
complete scans of objects such as vehicles, or for spot-checks to clear (or validate) alarms indicated
by another inspection such as high-energy x-ray radiography. The technologies developed over
the last decades are now being implemented with good results. The principles and applications of
neutron-based inspection techniques using accelerator based sources will be reviewed and discussed
in the presentation.
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