Status of the prototype Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) inspection system
The Idaho National Laboratory, in collaboration with Idaho State University's Idaho Accelerator Center and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, continues to develop the Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) technique for shielded nuclear material detection in large volume configurations, such as cargo containers. In recent years, the Department of Homeland Security has supported the development of a prototype PPA cargo inspection system. This PPA system integrates novel neutron and gamma-ray detectors for nuclear material detection along with a complementary and unique gray scale, density mapping component for significant shield material detection. This paper will present the developmental status of the prototype system, its detection performance using several INL Calibration Pallets, and planned enhancements to further increase its nuclear material detection capability.
Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) Technique: CY 04 Year-end Progress Report
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), along with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Idaho State University’s Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC), are developing an electron accelerator-based, photonuclear inspection technology for the detection of smuggled nuclear material within air-, rail-, and especially, maritime-cargo transportation containers. This CY04 report describes the latest developments and progress with the development of the Pulsed, Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) nuclear material inspection ystem, such as: (1) the identification of an optimal range of electron beam energies for interrogation applications, (2) the development of a new “cabinet safe” electron accelerator (i.e., Varitron II) to assess “cabinet safe-type” operations, (3) the numerical and experimental validation responses of nuclear materials placed within selected cargo configurations, 4) the fabrication and utilization of Calibration Pallets for inspection technology performance verification, 5) the initial technology integration of basic radiographic “imaging/mapping” with induced neutron and gamma-ray detection, 6) the characterization of electron beam-generated photon sources for optimal performance, 7) the development of experimentallydetermined Receiver-Operator-Characterization curves, and 8) several other system component assessments. This project is supported by the Department of Homeland Security and is a technology component of the Science & Technology Active Interrogation Portfolio entitled “Photofission-based Nuclear Material Detection and Characterization.”
Fragment Rotational State Distributions From The Dissociation Of NeIBr: Experimental And Theoretical Results
The IBr fragment rotational state distributions that result when the NeIBr van der Waals molecule undergoes vibrational predissociation have been measured in a pump–probe laser‐induced fluorescence experiment. Independent of initial vibrational state and the number of quanta of vibrational energy lost from the I–Br coordinate, the rotational distributions extend over the full range of energetically accessible states. From the observation of energetic constraints on the rotational distribution, the dissociation energy (D0) is calculated to be 65.5±1.2 cm−1 for the A electronic state, v=16. For the X electronic state, v=0, D0=71.8±1.2 cm−1. Quantum mechanical bound state calculations carried out on a model A electronic state potential energy surface are in quantitative agreement with this result. The rotational distributions are broader than that predicted by either a Franck–Condon or classical impulsive model for the dissociation. The distributions are qualitatively in accord with classical trajectory calc...