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NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND APPLICATIONS OF SUPERHEATED EMULSIONS: WARHEAD VERIFICATION AND SPECIAL NUCLEAR MATERIAL
F d'Errico1,2,3, A Chierici1,3, M Gattas-Sethi3
1Scuola di Ingegneria, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Radiation Protection Dosimetry
|April 27, 2018
Summary
Superheated emulsions offer advanced neutron detection for security applications. Improved manufacturing enables precise detection for warhead verification and interdiction of special nuclear materials.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear physics and detector technology.
- Materials science and advanced emulsions.
- Applied physics for security and non-proliferation.
Background:
- Neutron detection using superheated emulsions is experiencing a resurgence.
- Advances in detector manufacturing and readout techniques are key drivers.
- Successful applications include warhead verification and special nuclear material interdiction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight advancements in superheated emulsion neutron detectors.
- To showcase applications in nuclear security and non-proliferation.
- To detail the enabling features of emulsions for specific security tasks.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing uniform drop sizes in emulsions for optical readout via dynamic light scattering.
- Developing small detector cartridges in 2D matrices for covert warhead verification.
- Employing large emulsion modules for detecting shielded special nuclear materials using high-energy X-rays.
Main Results:
- Emulsions provide indistinguishable bubble formation for temporal anonymity.
- Passive detector nature prevents electronic snooping and tampering.
- Detectors offer photon discrimination, a ~3 MeV neutron detection threshold, and rate-insensitive readout for shielded material detection.
Conclusions:
- Superheated emulsions are effective neutron detectors for critical security applications.
- The technology offers unique advantages for both warhead verification and SNM interdiction.
- Ongoing improvements continue to enhance the utility of these detectors in safeguarding nuclear materials.
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