{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/139592"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/139592","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Monte Carlo Method for Calorimetric NRF Cargo Screening","abstract":"A number of fields in nuclear security require isotopic analysis and identification. Nuclear resonance fluorescence(NRF) has provided a non-intrusive isotope-sensitive measurement technique to detect special nuclear material in cargo [8], and has been proposed to be used as a verification technique in arms control treaty verification [41]. Standard methods of performing NRF involve the use of expensive HPGe detectors to detect a scattered signal to discriminate between isotopes of special nuclear materials. Furthermore these require a continuous wave (CW) beam, which currently can be delivered only by large and static accelerators [40]. We propose a system using an energy-modulating chopper wheel and a simpler, pulsed electron accelerator beam as the radiation source. This work builds upon a concept presented by Kemp et al. [24], with the difference of a measurement of NRF in a scattering mode. In this approach the chopper wheel serves as a switch effectively modulating the beam to include or exclude photons of NRF energies for interrogating the test object. Comparison between the chopper \"On\" and \"Of\" will provide a differential signal which upon integration can allow inference of special nuclear materials based on their NRF signals. The approach places integrating calorimetric Cherenkov detectors at a back-scattered angle which will eliminate much of the background typically found in a transmitted spectra. Cherenkov detectors will replace the HPGe detectors in effort to decrease the low energy background. We present a thoroughly tested Monte Carlo model to compare with experimental testing using Cherenkov detectors and nuclear resonance fluorescence to discriminate between isotopes of special nuclear material. Preliminary simulation results show that a uranium interrogation object could not be determined within a 5 minute interrogation.","abstract_html":"A number of fields in nuclear security require isotopic analysis and identification. Nuclear resonance fluorescence(NRF) has provided a non-intrusive isotope-sensitive measurement technique to detect special nuclear material in cargo [8], and has been proposed to be used as a verification technique in arms control treaty verification [41]. Standard methods of performing NRF involve the use of expensive HPGe detectors to detect a scattered signal to discriminate between isotopes of special nuclear materials. Furthermore these require a continuous wave (CW) beam, which currently can be delivered only by large and static accelerators [40]. We propose a system using an energy-modulating chopper wheel and a simpler, pulsed electron accelerator beam as the radiation source. This work builds upon a concept presented by Kemp et al. [24], with the difference of a measurement of NRF in a scattering mode. In this approach the chopper wheel serves as a switch effectively modulating the beam to include or exclude photons of NRF energies for interrogating the test object. Comparison between the chopper "On" and "Of" will provide a differential signal which upon integration can allow inference of special nuclear materials based on their NRF signals. The approach places integrating calorimetric Cherenkov detectors at a back-scattered angle which will eliminate much of the background typically found in a transmitted spectra. Cherenkov detectors will replace the HPGe detectors in effort to decrease the low energy background. We present a thoroughly tested Monte Carlo model to compare with experimental testing using Cherenkov detectors and nuclear resonance fluorescence to discriminate between isotopes of special nuclear material. Preliminary simulation results show that a uranium interrogation object could not be determined within a 5 minute interrogation.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bickus, Jacob E."],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":"Master","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Danagoulian, Areg","Naqvi, Farheen"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-06","date_published":"2021-06","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:22Z","subjects":[],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted","Copyright MIT"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/139592","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Danagoulian, Areg","Naqvi, Farheen"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 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Nuclear resonance fluorescence(NRF) has provided a non-intrusive isotope-sensitive measurement technique to detect special nuclear material in cargo [8], and has been proposed to be used as a verification technique in arms control treaty verification [41]. Standard methods of performing NRF involve the use of expensive HPGe detectors to detect a scattered signal to discriminate between isotopes of special nuclear materials. Furthermore these require a continuous wave (CW) beam, which currently can be delivered only by large and static accelerators [40]. We propose a system using an energy-modulating chopper wheel and a simpler, pulsed electron accelerator beam as the radiation source. This work builds upon a concept presented by Kemp et al. [24], with the difference of a measurement of NRF in a scattering mode. In this approach the chopper wheel serves as a switch effectively modulating the beam to include or exclude photons of NRF energies for interrogating the test object. Comparison between the chopper \"On\" and \"Of\" will provide a differential signal which upon integration can allow inference of special nuclear materials based on their NRF signals. The approach places integrating calorimetric Cherenkov detectors at a back-scattered angle which will eliminate much of the background typically found in a transmitted spectra. Cherenkov detectors will replace the HPGe detectors in effort to decrease the low energy background. We present a thoroughly tested Monte Carlo model to compare with experimental testing using Cherenkov detectors and nuclear resonance fluorescence to discriminate between isotopes of special nuclear material. Preliminary simulation results show that a uranium interrogation object could not be determined within a 5 minute interrogation."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.M."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Monte Carlo Method for Calorimetric NRF Cargo Screening"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Danagoulian, Areg","Naqvi, Farheen"],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Bickus, Jacob E."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2022-01-14T15:22:02Z"],"dc:date.available":["2022-01-14T15:22:02Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2021-06"],"dc:description.abstract":["A number of fields in nuclear security require isotopic analysis and identification. Nuclear resonance fluorescence(NRF) has provided a non-intrusive isotope-sensitive measurement technique to detect special nuclear material in cargo [8], and has been proposed to be used as a verification technique in arms control treaty verification [41]. Standard methods of performing NRF involve the use of expensive HPGe detectors to detect a scattered signal to discriminate between isotopes of special nuclear materials. Furthermore these require a continuous wave (CW) beam, which currently can be delivered only by large and static accelerators [40]. We propose a system using an energy-modulating chopper wheel and a simpler, pulsed electron accelerator beam as the radiation source. This work builds upon a concept presented by Kemp et al. [24], with the difference of a measurement of NRF in a scattering mode. In this approach the chopper wheel serves as a switch effectively modulating the beam to include or exclude photons of NRF energies for interrogating the test object. Comparison between the chopper \"On\" and \"Of\" will provide a differential signal which upon integration can allow inference of special nuclear materials based on their NRF signals. The approach places integrating calorimetric Cherenkov detectors at a back-scattered angle which will eliminate much of the background typically found in a transmitted spectra. Cherenkov detectors will replace the HPGe detectors in effort to decrease the low energy background. We present a thoroughly tested Monte Carlo model to compare with experimental testing using Cherenkov detectors and nuclear resonance fluorescence to discriminate between isotopes of special nuclear material. Preliminary simulation results show that a uranium interrogation object could not be determined within a 5 minute interrogation."],"dc:description.degree":["S.M."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/139592"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted","Copyright MIT"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/"],"dc:title":["Monte Carlo Method for Calorimetric NRF Cargo Screening"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master","Master of Science in Nuclear Science and Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:22Z"}