Active remote detection of radioactivity based on electromagnetic signatures

Abstract

This paper presents a new concept for the remote detection of radioactive materials. The concept is based on the detection of electromagnetic signatures in the vicinity of radioactive material and can enable stand-off detection at distances greater than 100 m. Radioactive materials emit gamma rays, which ionize the surrounding air. The ionized electrons rapidly attach to oxygen molecules forming O2− ions. The density of O2− around radioactive material can be several orders of magnitude greater than background levels. The elevated population of O2− extends several meters around the radioactive material. Electrons are easily photo-detached from O2− ions by laser radiation. The photo-detached electrons, in the presence of laser radiation, initiate avalanche ionization which results in a rapid increase in electron density. The rise in electron density induces a frequency modulation on a probe beam, which becomes a direct spectral signature for the presence of radioactive material.