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Title: Systems for detecting charged particles in object inspection

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1093252

Techniques, apparatus and systems for detecting particles such as muons. In one implementation, a monitoring system has a cosmic ray-produced charged particle tracker with a plurality of drift cells. The drift cells, which can be for example aluminum drift tubes, can be arranged at least above and below a volume to be scanned to thereby track incoming and outgoing charged particles, such as cosmic ray-produced muons, while also detecting gamma rays. The system can selectively detect devices or materials, such as iron, lead, gold and/or tungsten, occupying the volume from multiple scattering of the charged particles passing through the volume and can also detect any radioactive sources occupying the volume from gamma rays emitted therefrom. If necessary, the drift tubes can be sealed to eliminate the need for a gas handling system. The system can be employed to inspect occupied vehicles at border crossings for nuclear threat objects.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
Assignee:
Los Alamos National Security, LLC (Los Alamos, NM)
Patent Number(s):
8,513,601
Application Number:
13/591,118
OSTI ID:
1093252
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (1)

The large size straw drift chambers of the COMPASS experiment
  • Bychkov, V. N.; Dedek, N.; Dünnweber, W.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 556, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2005.10.026
journal January 2006