A dense plasma focus-based neutron source for a single-shot detection of illicit materials and explosives by a nanosecond neutron pulse

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Recent progress in a single-pulse Nanosecond Impulse Neutron Investigation System (NINIS) intended for interrogation of hidden objects by means of measuring elastically scattered neutrons is presented in this paper. The method uses very bright neutron pulses having duration of the order of 10 ns only, which are generated by dense plasma focus (DPF) devices filled with pure deuterium or DT mixture as a working gas. The small size occupied by the neutron bunch in space, number of neutrons per pulse and mono-chromaticity (ΔE/E∼1%) of the neutron spectrum provides the opportunity to use a time-of-flight (TOF) technique with flying bases of about a few metres. In our researches we used DPF devices having bank energy in the range 2–7 kJ. The devices generate a neutron yield of the level of 108–109 2.45 MeV and 1010–1011 14 MeV neutrons per pulse with pulse duration ∼10–20 ns. TOF base in the tests was 2.2–18.5 m. We have demonstrated the possibility of registering of neutrons scattered by the substances under investigation—1 litre bottles with methanol (CH3OH), phosphoric (H2PO4) and nitric (HNO3) acids as well as a long object—a 1 m gas tank filled with deuterium at high pressure. It is shown that the above mentioned short TOF bases and relatively low neutron yields are enough to distinguish different elements’ nuclei composing the substance under interrogation and to characterize the geometry of lengthy objects in some cases. The wavelet technique was employed to ‘clean’ the experimental data registered. The advantages and restrictions of the proposed and tested NINIS technique in comparison with other methods are discussed.