Development of a direction-sensitive gamma-ray monitoring system using a gamma camera with a dual-sided collimator: A Monte Carlo study

Appl Radiat Isot. 2021 Dec:178:109937. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109937. Epub 2021 Sep 8.

Abstract

Nuclear explosions, sabotage, and dirty bomb materials are considered a security threat. This paper discusses the development of a gamma-ray monitoring system that enables the screening of nuclear materials moving simultaneously on both sides of the system at ports. This direction-sensitive gamma-ray monitoring (DSGM) system consists of a monolithic plastic scintillator surrounded by 28 photomultiplier tubes and dual-sided parallel-hole lead collimators. With Monte Carlo simulation, the monitoring performance of the DSGM system was assessed for static and moving sources. A multilayer perceptron model was employed to estimate the energy-deposited position of the gamma-rays emitted by nuclear materials in the scintillator.

Keywords: Gamma camera; Gamma-ray monitoring system; Homeland security; Monte Carlo simulation.