Abstract
TITAN has developed a new technique for detecting explosives using an rf linac. The patented EXDEP technique uses an intense 13.5-MeV electron-generated X-ray beam to photoactivate the nitrogen comprising > 18.5% of most explosives. Activated nitrogen (t12 = 10 min) decays emitting a positron, which annihilates producing two 511 keV photons that are detected. The rf linac's electron energy is selected to optimize the nitrogen activation and minimize background. In a DARPA/Sandia National Laboratory sponsored countermine program, TITAN developed a model, benchmarked it with experiments, and used it to determine the parameters for a prototype system. Experiments at the Naval Research Laboratory verified that EXDEP could detect plastic and metal buried mines in sand and soil. An EXDEP system has been designed to screen luggage for concealed explosives. An rf linac illuminates the luggage, a detector array provides a 3D image of the activity concentration within the luggage, and a 3D computer tomography X-ray scanner maps the physical density of those areas. Calculations have shown that the probability of detection will be > 99% with a false-alarm probability of < 1%.
Published Version
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