Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2017 Fall Meeting of the APS Division of Nuclear Physics
Volume 62, Number 11
Wednesday–Saturday, October 25–28, 2017; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Session PJ: Mini-Symposium on Nuclear Imaging for Homeland Security |
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Chair: Jason Newby, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Room: City Center A |
Saturday, October 28, 2017 10:30AM - 11:06AM |
PJ.00001: Neutron and Gamma Imaging for National Security Applications Invited Speaker: Donald Hornback The Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development (DNN R{\&}D/NA-22) possesses, in part, the mission to develop technologies in support of nuclear security efforts in coordination with other U.S. government entities, such as the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. DNN R{\&}D has long supported research in nuclear detection at national labs, universities, and through the small business innovation research (SBIR) program. Research topics supported include advanced detector materials and electronics, detection algorithm development, and advanced gamma/neutron detection systems. Neutron and gamma imaging, defined as the directional detection of radiation as opposed to radiography, provides advanced detection capabilities for the NNSA mission in areas of emergency response, international safeguards, and nuclear arms control treaty monitoring and verification. A technical and programmatic overview of efforts in this field of research will be summarized. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 28, 2017 11:06AM - 11:18AM |
PJ.00002: Time-Encoded Neutron Imaging for Applications in Nuclear Security Erik Brubaker, James Brennan, Mark Gerling, Peter Marleau, Mateusz Monterial, Aaron Nowack, Patricia Schuster, Ben Sturm, Melinda Sweany Time-encoded imaging (TEI) refers to a class of techniques that extract directional information from a radiation field by inducing a time modulation in a detected particle flux. These approaches are in many ways analogous to pinhole and coded aperture imaging, in which a spatial modulation rather than a time modulation is induced. TEI is particularly useful for imaging energetic particle radiation such as gamma rays and fission-energy neutrons, which cannot be easily lensed. We developed TEI-based neutron imaging systems for two classes of nuclear security applications. First, high-resolution neutron emission imaging of distributed neutron sources was demonstrated with a single-pixel TEI imager. Second, long standoff source detection via a neutron signature was accomplished using a large-area, self-modulating TEI system. We demonstrate the ability to detect a ~1 mCi Cf-252 source at 100 m standoff in 12 minutes. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 28, 2017 11:18AM - 11:30AM |
PJ.00003: A Time of Flight Fast Neutron Imaging System Design Study Bonnie Canion, Andrew Glenn, Steven Sheets, Ron Wurtz, Les Nakae, Paul Hausladen, Seth McConchie, Matthew Blackston, Lorenzo Fabris, Jason Newby LLNL and ORNL are designing an active/passive fast neutron imaging system that is flexible to non-ideal detector positioning. It is often not possible to move an inspection object in fieldable imager applications such as safeguards, arms control treaty verification, and emergency response. Particularly, we are interested in scenarios which inspectors do not have access to all sides of an inspection object, due to interfering objects or walls. This paper will present the results of a simulation-based design parameter study, that will determine the optimum system design parameters for a fieldable system to perform time-of-flight based imaging analysis. The imaging analysis is based on the use of an associated particle imaging deuterium-tritium (API DT) neutron generator to get the time-of-flight of radiation induced within an inspection object. This design study will investigate the optimum design parameters for such a system (e.g. detector size, ideal placement, etc.), as well as the upper and lower feasible design parameters that the system can expect to provide results within a reasonable amount of time (e.g. minimum/maximum detector efficiency, detector standoff, etc.). Ideally the final prototype from this project will be capable of using full-access techniques, such as transmission imaging, when the measurement circumstances allow, but with the additional capability of producing results at reduced accessibility. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 28, 2017 11:30AM - 11:42AM |
PJ.00004: Double-Scatter Fast-Neutron Imaging for National Security Applications John Polack Fast neutron imaging based on two (or more) elastic scatters provides more event-by-event information on incident neutron energy and direction than imaging based on single-scatter events. However, the requirement of two scatters in different detectors means that this information comes at the cost of lower intrinsic efficiency. Sandia National Laboratories has been involved in the development of several double-scatter neutron imagers over the past decade, including the Neutron Scatter Camera and MINER (Mobile Imager of Neutrons for Emergency Responders). Recent work has been focused on developing uncertainty quantification techniques to help leverage the rich information carried by double-scatter events and provide quantitative decision metrics for detection and diagnostic applications. Work is also underway to develop a single-volume scatter camera, based on utilizing multiple neutron scatters in a single scintillator volume, which will mitigate the typical loss in efficiency suffered by double-scatter imagers. This talk will present a brief overview of this ongoing work, with a focus on simulated response characterization of both traditional double-scatter imagers and the single-volume scatter camera. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 28, 2017 11:42AM - 11:54AM |
PJ.00005: Fast Neutron Emission Tomography of Used Nuclear Fuel Assemblies Paul Hausladen, Anagha Iyengar, Lorenzo Fabris, Jinan Yang, Jianwei Hu, Matthew Blackston Oak Ridge National Laboratory is developing a new capability to perform passive fast neutron emission tomography of spent nuclear fuel assemblies for the purpose of verifying their integrity for international safeguards applications. Most of the world's plutonium is contained in spent nuclear fuel, so it is desirable to detect the diversion of irradiated fuel rods from an assembly prior to its transfer to ``difficult to access'' storage, such as a dry cask or permanent repository, where re-verification is practically impossible. Nuclear fuel assemblies typically consist of an array of fuel rods that, depending on exposure in the reactor and consequent ingrowth of $^{\mathrm{244}}$Cm, are spontaneous sources of as many as 10$^{\mathrm{9}}$ neutrons s$^{\mathrm{-1}}$. Neutron emission tomography uses collimation to isolate neutron activity along ``lines of response'' through the assembly and, by combining many collimated views through the object, mathematically extracts the neutron emission from each fuel rod. This technique, by combining the use of fast neutrons$-$which can penetrate the entire fuel assembly$-$and computed tomography, is capable of detecting vacancies or substitutions of individual fuel rods. This paper will report on the physics design and component testing of the imaging system. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 28, 2017 11:54AM - 12:06PM |
PJ.00006: Use of GaN as a Scintillating Ionizing Radiation Detector Johnathan Wensman, Noel Guardala, Veerendra Mathur, Leslie Alasagas, Jeffrey Vanhoy, John Statham, Daniel Marron, Marshall Millett, Jarrod Marsh, John Currie, Jack Price Gallium nitride (GaN) is a III/V direct bandgap semiconductor which has been used in light emitting diodes (LEDs) since the 1990s. Currently, due to a potential for increased efficiency, GaN is being investigated as a replacement for silicon in power electronics finding potential uses ranging from data centers to electric vehicles. In addition to LEDs and power electronics though, doped GaN can be used as a gamma insensitive fast neutron detector due to the direct band-gap, light propagation properties, and response to ionizing radiations. Investigation of GaN as a semiconductor scintillator for use in a radiation detection system involves mapping the response function of the detector crystal over a range of photon and neutron energies, and measurements of light generation in the GaN crystal due to proton, alpha, and nitrogen projectiles. In this presentation we discuss the measurements made to date, and plausible interpretations of the response functions. [Preview Abstract] |
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