Development of a high performance standoff radiation detection system (SORDS)

探测核威胁是加拿大国家安全网络的一个重要组成部分。能够在远距离检测少量辐射在广泛的应用中尤其重要，包括国土安全，海关和边境保护，核事故应急响应以及战场上的军事任务。目前有一些工具，但它们不是最佳的。为了最佳地利用目前可用于放射响应的人力和资源，需要一种高灵敏度的辐射检测装置，其可以从远处（~10-50米）快速确定辐射源项的类型和位置。这种设备的基本要求是高灵敏度、高动态范围、低质量、具有光谱能力的便携式单元等。其中许多要求与广泛用于医学物理成像应用的辐射技术相同，因此，有一个很好的机会来利用医学物理领域数十年的操作经验和优化。特别令人感兴趣的是，诸如正电子发射断层扫描（PET）的医学成像技术也需要在有限空间中快速采集光谱和定向光子通量分布。这些要求转化为定向探测能力、高探测截面体积比、高计数率能力和能量色散测量，所有这些都直接映射到智能辐射测绘设备（IRMD）的基本要求。我们的目标是开发一个高性能的远距离辐射探测系统（SORDS）使用新型的反射器和硅光电倍增管（SiPMs）。

The detection of nuclear threat is a critical component of Canada's national security network. Being able to detect small amounts of radiation at large distances is especially important in a wide range of applications including homeland security, customs and border protection, emergency response to nuclear accidents, and military tasks on the battlefield. Tools currently exist but they are sub-optimal. In order to optimally use the manpower and resources currently available for radiological response, a highly sensitive radiation detection device, which can rapidly determine the type and location of the radiation source term from a distant location (~10-50 meters), is desired. The basic requirements for such a device are high sensitivity, high dynamic range, low mass, portable unit with spectrographic capabilities among others. Many of these requirements are shared with radiation technology that is widely used in medical physics imaging applications and as a result, there is an excellent opportunity to capitalize on the decades of operational experience and optimization that has occurred in the medical physics area. Of particular interest is the fact that medical imaging techniques such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) also require rapid acquisition of spectral and directional photon flux profiles in a confined space. These requirements translate into directional detection capability, high detection cross section to volume ratio, high-count rate capability and energy dispersive measurement, all of which map directly into the basic requirements of an Intelligent Radiation Mapping Device (IRMD). Our goal is to develop a high performance standoff radiation detection system (SORDS) using novel scintillators and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs).