Active remote detection of radioactivity based on electromagnetic signatures
- Plasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia 20375 (United States)
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111 (United States)
This paper presents a new concept for the remote detection of radioactive materials. The concept is based on the detection of electromagnetic signatures in the vicinity of radioactive material and can enable stand-off detection at distances greater than 100 m. Radioactive materials emit gamma rays, which ionize the surrounding air. The ionized electrons rapidly attach to oxygen molecules forming O{sub 2}{sup −} ions. The density of O{sub 2}{sup −} around radioactive material can be several orders of magnitude greater than background levels. The elevated population of O{sub 2}{sup −} extends several meters around the radioactive material. Electrons are easily photo-detached from O{sub 2}{sup −} ions by laser radiation. The photo-detached electrons, in the presence of laser radiation, initiate avalanche ionization which results in a rapid increase in electron density. The rise in electron density induces a frequency modulation on a probe beam, which becomes a direct spectral signature for the presence of radioactive material.
- OSTI ID:
- 22252164
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 21, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2014 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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