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A review of conventional explosives detection using active neutron interrogation

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Abstract

Conventional explosives are relatively easy to obtain and may cause massive harm to people and property. There are several tools employed by law enforcement to detect explosives, but these can be subverted. Active neutron interrogation is a viable alternative to those techniques, and includes: fast neutron analysis, thermal neutron analysis, pulsed fast/thermal neutron analysis, neutron elastic scatter, and fast neutron radiography. These methods vary based on neutron energy and radiation detected. A thorough review of the principles behind, advantages, and disadvantages of the different types of active neutron interrogation is presented.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Adrienne Lehnert and Tomasz Zak for their assistance in locating sources for this paper. This research was performed under appointment to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Scholarship and Fellowship Program, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DHS. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) under DOE contract number DE-AC05-06OR23100. All opinions expressed in this paper are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect the policies and views of DHS, DOE, or ORAU/ORISE.

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  1. Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, 2355 Bonisteel Boulevard, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2104, USA

    Z. D. Whetstone & K. J. Kearfott

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Whetstone, Z.D., Kearfott, K.J. A review of conventional explosives detection using active neutron interrogation. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 301, 629–639 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-014-3260-5

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