The use of stimulated electron emission (SEE) in homeland security applications

H. Ing; H. R. Andrews; M. Facina; W. T. Lee; H. W. Niu

doi:10.1117/12.924651

4 May 2012 The use of stimulated electron emission (SEE) in homeland security applications

H. Ing, H. R. Andrews, M. Facina, W. T. Lee, H. W. Niu

Proceedings Volume 8358, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XIII; 83581T (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.924651
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2012, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract

Certain insulating solids can store a fraction of the absorbed energy when irradiated by ionizing radiation. The stored energy can be released subsequently by heating or optical stimulation. As a result, light may be emitted through Thermoluminescence (TL) or Optically-Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) and electrons may be emitted through Thermally-Stimulated Electron Emission (TSEE) or Optically-Stimulated Electron Emission (OSEE). TL and OSL are widely used in current radiation dosimetry systems. However, despite considerable research effort during the early 1970s, SEE was not commonly adopted for dosimetry applications. One of the main reasons is that SEE is a surface phenomenon, while luminescence is a bulk phenomenon, making SEE more susceptible to humidity, absorption of gases, minor physical defects and handling, both before and after irradiation. Nevertheless, it has been recognized that SEE may be useful for homeland security applications in nuclear forensics, where dose accuracy is not the primary performance metric. In this research, we are investigating the use of SEE for nuclear forensic applications. Many common materials, both natural and man-made, exhibit the phenomenon, providing an opportunity to use the environment itself as an in-situ radiation detector. We have designed and constructed a unique prototype reader for conducting SEE measurements. We have demonstrated that the SEE measurements from a variety of materials are quantitatively reproducible and correlated to radiation exposure. Due to the broad applicability of SEE, significant additional studies are warranted to optimize this novel technique for nuclear forensic and other applications.

Citation Download Citation

H. Ing, H. R. Andrews, M. Facina, W. T. Lee, and H. W. Niu "The use of stimulated electron emission (SEE) in homeland security applications", Proc. SPIE 8358, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XIII, 83581T (4 May 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.924651

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
11 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Forensic science

Laser induced fluorescence

Corundum

Ceramics

Homeland security

Crystals

Light emitting diodes

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years