NEW FAST HEAVY SCINTILLATORS FOR EXPLOSIVES DETECTION: A FEASIBILITY STUDY

WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP DETECTORS FOR EXPLOSIVES IDENTIFICATION BASED ON THREE NEW FAST HEAVY CERIUM-DROPPED PEROVSKITE SCINTILLATOR CRYSTALS: YAP, GAO, AND GSO. WE HAVE MADE DETECTORS FROM SMALL (~200 MM(2)) THIN (~40 MM) CRYSTALS OF THESE MATERIALS WHICH HAVE MEASURED EFFICIENCIES, RESOLUTIONS, LIGHT, AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES COMPARABLE TO OR BETTER THAN THOSE OF NAI AND BGO, THE CURRENT EXPLOSIVES DETECTOR STANDARDS. THE DECISIVE ADVANTAGE OF THESE SCINTILLATORS LIES IN THEIR SPEED, ~10 TIMES FASTER THAN NAI AND BGO. IN HIGH-BACKGROUND SMALL-SIGNAL EXPLOSIVES DETECTION APPLICATIONS WHERE Y-RAYS MUST BE ENERGY IDENTIFIED, THE OPERATIONALLY LIMITING PILE-UP INDUCED FALSE SIGNALS WILL BE GREATLY REDUCED. OUR STUDY HAS TWO AMBITIOUS GOALS: (1) GROW HIGH QUALITY CRYSTALS LARGE ENOUGH TO TOTALLY CONTAIN ELECTROMAGNETIC SHOWERS FROM 10 MEV NITROGEN-14 RADIATIVE NEUTRON CAPTURE Y-RAYS; AND (2) DETERMINE THE PHOTODETECTOR, ADHESIVE, AND ELECTRONICS FOR EACH OF THESE THREE CRYSTALS AND CONSTRUCT PROTOTYPE DETECTORS.