High Rate Segmented Germanium Detector System (HRGe)

The NNSA Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation missions include monitoring, assaying, and identifying Special Nuclear Materials (SNM). These activities commonly occur in facilities having large quantities of additional nuclear materials causing high background count rates that obscure measurements using ordinary spectroscopic radiation detectors. The segmented HRGe germanium detector system will be experimentally developed for nuclear material measurements in extremely high count-rate environments. An experimental program will evaluate and modify existing detector-system components to increase the count-rate capacity of the HRGe detector system. The electronics and software must be specifically modified to take advantage of the unique properties of a segmented detector. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The capabilities of the new HRGe will be valuable for nuclear-fuel holdup measurements, environmental monitoring, nuclear weapons non-proliferation, treaty verification, nuclear-explosion monitoring, nuclear physics and nuclear medicine.