Detection of improvised explosive devices at long-range using coded aperture imaging of backscattered X-rays with dynamic reconstruction

Standoff detection of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) is a continuing problem for the U.S. military. Current X-ray detection systems cannot detect explosives at distances above a few meters and with a source-detector system moving in relation to the target. The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of a large-area, Coded-Aperture Imaging (CAI) system using X-Ray backscatter as the source of radiation. A moving source-detector system required development of a new reconstruction technique, dynamic reconstruction (DR), which continually back-projects detected events on an event-by-event basis. This research imaged multiple low-Z (polyethylene and water-filled), area targets with backscattered X-rays using standard medical imaging equipment, coded aperture masks with ideal bi-level autocorrelation properties, and dynamic reconstruction (DR). Lower fill factor apertures were the primary metric investigated because contrast was shown to be inversely related to the mask's percentage of open area. This study experimentally determined the optimal mask fill factor, gamma camera imaging protocols, and experimental geometry by examining the resulting effects on image quality. Reconstructed images were analyzed for Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), Signal-to-noise Ratio (SNR), resolution, sharpness, the uniformity of the background (artifacts). In addition to changing the fill factor, additional methods of improving the contrast included changing the experimental geometry, reducing the X-ray tube filtration, and widening the X-ray source's cone beam (FOV).

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Bell, Jayna T. (Jayna Teresa)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Richard C. Lanza and Jacquelyn C. Yanch.

• Nuclear Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/53279

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/53279