2020/12/23 by Jana Petrović, Petrovic, Jana, Alf Göök +3
Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Applied Physics (physics.app-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Nuclear Physics and Applications #Physics and Society (physics.soc-ph) #Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies #Radioactive contamination and transfer
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2012.12793
openalex publication_date 2020/12/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We introduce a novel technique, neutron-gamma emission tomography (NGET), for rapid detection, 3D imaging, and characterization of special nuclear materials like weapons grade plutonium and uranium. The technique is adapted from fundamental nuclear physics research and represents a paradigm shift in the approach to detection and imaging of small quantities of such materials. The method uses a granular detection system based on fast organic scintillators, measuring the characteristic fast time and energy correlations between particles emitted in nuclear fission processes. The radically new approach of using such correlations in real time in conjunction with modern machine learning techniques provides unprecedented imaging efficiency, spatial resolution and ultra-low false alarm rates, addressing global security threats from terrorism, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, as well as different nuclear accident scenarios and environmental radiological surveying.