Self-Networking Passive Sensor Array for the Detection of Underground Facilities

BMDO and the Services have the requirement to certify some of their military assets as being survivable against the effects of prompt X-rays from nuclear weapons. This certification is generally accomplished by a combination of testing the assets directlyfor their survivability at DTRA's X-ray simulators, and by modeling and simulation. Both the development of X-ray simulators and benchmarking computer models require very accurate X-ray spectra; especially in the warm, 10-200 keV, spectral region whereX-ray sources are too weak to provide system level testing requirements.FARTECH, Inc. proposes a unique high precision spectrometer that is simple, compact, flexible, robust, and is applicable for DTRA's X-ray simulators. The diagnostic technique uses carefully matched filter pairs, in conjunction with suitable detectors, tobuild a spectrometer capable of providing real-time, shot-to-shot spectra in the warm X-ray region.During Phase I, FARTECH will develop a computer model for matching the radiation spectrum with the optimum filter configuration and will perform a proof-of-principle test with a prototype single channel balanced filter spectrometer on an X-ray sourcefacility. In Phase II, we will design, fabricate, calibrate, and test a complete prototype multi-channel spectrometer over the range of 10 to 200 keV.FARTECH's innovative X-ray spectrometers based on the balanced filter method will benefit the diagnostics of high intensity pulsed power X-ray sources, such as Z-pinch plasmas, inertial confinement fusion plasmas and magnetic confinement fusion plasmadevices. They can enhance the contrast of medical radiographic and tomographic images to a new level. Their compactness will allow their use in space vehicles or satellites to measure astrophysical X-ray emission sources.