Detecting clandestine material with nuclear resonance fluorescence

Abstract

We study the performance of a class of interrogation systems that exploit nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) to detect specific isotopes. In these systems the presence of a particular nuclide is inferred by observing the preferential attenuation of photons that strongly excite an electromagnetic transition in that nuclide. Estimates for the false positive/negative error rates, radiological dose, and detection sensitivity associated with discovering clandestine material embedded in cargo are presented. The relation between performance of the detection system and properties of the beam of interrogating photons is also considered. Bright gamma-ray sources with fine energy and angular resolution, such as those based on Thomson upscattering of laser light, are found to be associated with uniquely low radiological dose, scan times, and error rates. For this reason a consideration of NRF-based interrogation systems may provide impetus for efforts in light source development for applications related to national security and industry.