Penetrating power of resonant electromagnetic induction imaging

Roberta Guilizzoni,Joseph C Watson,Ferruccio Renzoni,Paul Bartlett

doi:10.1063/1.4963299

Roberta Guilizzoni, Joseph C Watson + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4963299

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Abstract

The possibility of revealing the presence and identifying the nature of conductive targets is of central interest in many fields, including security, medicine, industry, archaeology and geophysics. In many applications, these targets are shielded by external materials and thus cannot be directly accessed. Hence, interrogation techniques are required that allow penetration through the shielding materials, in order for the target to be identified. Electromagnetic interrogation techniques represent a powerful solution to this challenge, as they enable penetration through conductive shields. In this work, we demonstrate the power of resonant electromagnetic induction imaging to penetrate through metallic shields (1.5-mm-thick) and image targets (having conductivities σ ranging from 0.54 to 59.77 MSm−1) concealed behind them.

Highlights

Detecting objects that are concealed behind metallic screens is a central problem in many fields. These include security, where the threat represented by illicit trafficking of materials, and in particular special nuclear materials (SNM), requires reliable techniques to be developed for hazard prevention.[1,2]
In the context of nuclear security applications, Darrer et al.[1,2] demonstrated an Magnetic Induction Tomography (MIT)-based imaging method that allows imaging of metals concealed inside ferromagnetic enclosures
An MIT-based optical method based on the use of atomic magnetometers for diagnostic mapping of the heart’s conductivity has been recently proposed by Marmugi et al and Deans et al.[11,12]

Summary

Introduction

Detecting objects that are concealed behind metallic screens is a central problem in many fields. Developed electromagnetic-induction based detection techniques represent an effective solution to this challenge, since magnetic fields of appropriately low frequency can in principle penetrate through any conductive material, reaching the target of interest and allowing its revelation Among these techniques, Magnetic Induction Tomography (MIT) has been exploited for producing conductivity maps of the passive electromagnetic properties of an object.[3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10] In the context of nuclear security applications, Darrer et al.[1,2] demonstrated an MIT-based imaging method that allows imaging of metals concealed inside ferromagnetic enclosures. An MIT-based optical method based on the use of atomic magnetometers for diagnostic mapping of the heart’s conductivity has been recently proposed by Marmugi et al and Deans et al.[11,12]

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