Pulsed fast-thermal neutron analysis

P.C. Womble, G. Vourvopoulos, J. Paschal and P.A. Dokhale, Multi-element analysis utilizing pulsed fast/thermal neutron analysis for contraband detection, Proc. SPIE, 3769 (1999) 189-195. 

API, associated particle interogation FNA, fast neutron analysis PFNA, pulsed fast neutron analysis TNA, thermal neutron analysis. 

The nanosecond pulsed beam with time gating at the detector and the associated particle method (APM) render the three-dimensional (3D) elemental analysis of solids possible (Overley 1987 Rynes et al. 1999). The APM is based mainly on the D-D and D-T reactions by the detection of He and He particles, respectively, emitted at 180° to the neutron direction. The 4-5 cm/ns travel time of the neutrons allows the imaging of the interrogated volume along the direction of the ns pulsed neutrons with a spatial resolution of 5 cm. Some 2D-3D fast neutron imaging principles and techniques are summarized by Gozani (1994), Mikerov et al. (1998, 2001), and Chen and Lanza (2001), while typical thermal neutron radiography systems are demonstrated by Balasko et al. 1998, 2001) and Shaikh et al. (1998, 2001). 

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