Evaluation of a Cherenkov Detector and Image Reconstruction Algorithm for Cargo Scanning
Applications
Mackenzie Duce
Abstract: Scanning incoming cargo at ports of entry for special nuclear material (SNM) remains a challenge for national security. Active interrogation, where an external source bombards the target with incident radiation to produce detectable secondary particles, can penetrate shielding that currently-employed passive detection systems cannot. Due to the incident radiation required for active interrogation, a high background is present. Cherenkov detectors are highly resistant to background due to the mechanism for light emission requiring a high threshold energy, however their poor spectroscopy means imaging is challenging. Previously, an array of both inorganic scintillators and quartz Cherenkov radiators demonstrated that Cherenkov detectors may be uniquely suited for this application with an in-house image reconstruction algorithm. In this work, the detector array is now composed only of cherenkov radiators and is tested using ANSI imaging performance standards for national security applications.