PMID- 32964864
OWN - NLM
STAT- Publisher
LR  - 20240222
IS  - 1361-6498 (Electronic)
IS  - 0952-4746 (Linking)
VI  - 40
IP  - 4
DP  - 2020 Sep 23
TI  - Assessing the suitability of three proxy sources for the development of detectors 
      of special nuclear materials.
PG  - 1138-1153
LID - 10.1088/1361-6498/ab9fdb [doi]
AB  - Numerous techniques and equipment have been developed to provide a capability for 
      the detection of special nuclear materials (SNM), but due to the necessary 
      security measures surrounding these materials alternate, or proxy, neutron 
      sources are often utilised in their stead. In this paper we report the neutron 
      and gamma pulse shape discrimination response of plastic scintillator to mixed 
      neutron/gamma beams produced from two radionuclide neutron sources, and also from 
      an SNM source of weapons-grade plutonium. We discuss the suitability of using 
      radionuclide sources, with appropriate shielding configurations as proxy sources 
      for SNM. A 3sigman(th-gamma) discrimination level has been achieved for an SNM source at 
      a low-level energy threshold of  approximately 220 keVee when a shielding configuration of 5 cm 
      of lead was implemented. Varying amounts of lead and high-density polyethylene 
      (HDPE) shielding were also investigated with the 3sigma limit being reached by  approximately 240 
      keVee. This work shows that an AmBe neutron source serves as an appropriate SNM 
      proxy achieving a comparable value for figure of merit above  approximately 1 MeVee. For 
      energies below 1 MeVee down to  approximately 100 keVee a closer approximation of the expected 
      FoM for SNM can be attained when using (252)Cf as a proxy source or by utilising 
      an 'enhanced' AmBe source with the addition of a further low energy gamma ray source.
FAU - Taggart, Matthew P
AU  - Taggart MP
AD  - Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom.
FAU - Allwork, Chris
AU  - Allwork C
FAU - Collett, Michael
AU  - Collett M
FAU - Hubbard, Michael W J
AU  - Hubbard MWJ
FAU - Sellin, Paul J
AU  - Sellin PJ
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20200923
PL  - England
TA  - J Radiol Prot
JT  - Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for 
      Radiological Protection
JID - 8809257
SB  - IM
EDAT- 2020/09/24 06:00
MHDA- 2020/09/24 06:00
CRDT- 2020/09/23 09:03
PHST- 2020/09/23 09:03 [entrez]
PHST- 2020/09/24 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2020/09/24 06:00 [medline]
AID - 10.1088/1361-6498/ab9fdb [doi]
PST - aheadofprint
SO  - J Radiol Prot. 2020 Sep 23;40(4):1138-1153. doi: 10.1088/1361-6498/ab9fdb.