Seminar: Radiation Source Direction Identification and Imaging Using a Portable Rotating Scatter Mask System

Abstract

Directionally-sensitive radiation detectors have been shown to greatly improve the search efficiency over standard detectors, leading to the development of various gamma ray imaging systems. However, most of these systems are expensive, complex, and limited by the resolution or field-of-view. The Rotating Scatter Mask (RSM) system is a low cost, portable, directional radiation detection system with a nearly 4pi field-of-view over a broad range of photon energies. This presentation discusses the experimental validation of the original Fitzgerald RSM simulations and direction identification, the design evolution to the current portable Spartan and Mace designs, and future areas of research and design development.  

About the speaker

Captain James E. Bevins is an assistant professor of nuclear engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), and he is the Air Force Technical Applications Center Endowed Chair for Nuclear Treaty Monitoring. His research interests include radiation transport and nuclear interactions with matter, radiation and nuclear effects/phenomenologies, detection technologies with non-proliferation and national security applications, and nuclear weapons and non-proliferation policies. Bevins holds a PhD in nuclear engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to earning his PhD, he spent time at Y-12, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory and the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center.

Hosted by Professor Richard Vasques.