Gamma In Addition to Neutron Tomography (GIANT) at the NECTAR instrument.

Sci Rep

Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstr. 1, 85748, Garching, Germany.

Published: November 2023

AI Article Synopsis

  • The NECTAR instrument utilizes thermal and fast neutrons for non-destructive inspection of large, dense objects, offering a unique radiography and tomography approach through scintillators and a camera system.
  • Gamma-rays, which are produced alongside neutrons and share a similar directional path, can be considered useful rather than just beam contamination; they can be detected through gamma-sensitive scintillator screens integrated into the existing detection setup.
  • This multimodal imaging technique improves depth penetration capabilities compared to traditional X-ray imaging, allowing better analysis of cm-sized objects by leveraging both neutron and gamma-ray data.

Article Abstract

The NECTAR instrument provides access to thermal and fast neutrons which are suitable for non-destructive inspection of large and dense objects. Scintillators are used in combination with a camera system for radiography and tomography. Gamma-rays are produced as inevitable by-products of the neutron production. Furthermore, these gamma-rays are highly directional due to their constraint to the same beam-line geometry and come with similar divergence as the neutrons. We demonstrate how these gamma-rays, previously treated as beam contamination can be used as a complementary probe. While difficult to shield, it is possible to utilize them by using gamma sensitive scintillator screens in place of the neutron sensitive scintillators, viewed by the same camera based detector system. The combination of multiple probes often provides complementary information that can result in a better contrast or insight into the sample composition, for a broader range of materials and applications. Hence dual-mode imaging, combining thermal/cold neutrons with X-ray imaging has been developed at many neutron facilities. With X-rays limited in penetration of dense materials to millimeters only, we present a multimodal imaging technique that is capable of penetrating cm-sized objects using thermal to fast neutrons with the addition of gamma-rays by changing the combination of scintillator and beam filter used at the NECTAR instrument.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10656511PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-47237-yDOI Listing

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