Modeling of fission neutrons as a signature for the detection of highly enriched uranium

James K. Wolford Jr.; Michael I. Frank; Marie-Anne Descalle

doi:10.1117/12.541015

15 September 2004 Modeling of fission neutrons as a signature for the detection of highly enriched uranium

James K. Wolford Jr., Michael I. Frank, Marie-Anne Descalle

Proceedings Volume 5403, Sensors, and Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) Technologies for Homeland Security and Homeland Defense III; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.541015
Event: Defense and Security, 2004, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

We present the results of modeling intended to evaluate the feasibility of using neutrons from induced fission in highly enriched uranium (HEU) as a means of detecting clandestine HEU, even when it is embedded in absorbing surroundings, such as commercial cargo. We characterized radiation from induced fission in HEU, which consisted of delayed neutrons at all energies and prompt neutrons at energies above a threshold. We found that for the candidate detector and for the conditions we considered, a distinctive HEU signature should be detectable, given sufficient detector size, and should be robust over a range of cargo content. In the modeled scenario, an intense neutron source was used to induce fissions in a spherical shell of HEU. To absorb, scatter, and moderate the neutrons, we place one layer of simulated cargo between the source and target and an identical layer between the target and detector. The resulting neutrons and gamma rays are resolved in both time and energy to reveal the portion arising from fission. We predicted the dominant reaction rates within calcium fluoride and liquid organic scintillators. Finally, we assessed the relative effectiveness of two common neutron source energies.

Citation Download Citation

James K. Wolford Jr., Michael I. Frank, and Marie-Anne Descalle "Modeling of fission neutrons as a signature for the detection of highly enriched uranium", Proc. SPIE 5403, Sensors, and Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) Technologies for Homeland Security and Homeland Defense III, (15 September 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.541015

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available