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U.S. Department of Energy
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Fast neutron transmission spectroscopy for illicit substance detection

Conference ·
OSTI ID:228507

Fast Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy (FNTS) is being investigated for detecting explosives in luggage and other small containers. It uses an accelerator to generate nanosecond-pulsed neutron beams that strike a target, producing a white source of neutrons. Elemental distributions along projections through the interrogated object are obtained by analyzing neutron transmission data. Tomographic reconstruction is used to determine the spatial variations of individual elemental densities. Elemental densities are combined in a detection algorithm that indicates presence or absence of explosives. The elemental unfolding and tomographic reconstruction algorithms have been validated by application to experimental data. System studies have been performed to study the operational characteristics and limitations of a FNTS system, and to determine the system`s sensitivity to several important parameters such as flight path length and position of the interrogated object.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Technology Development Div.
Sponsoring Organization:
Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-31109-ENG-38
OSTI ID:
228507
Report Number(s):
ANL/TD/CP--89770; CONF-960690--3; ON: DE96010803; CNN: Contract DTFA03-93-X-00021
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English