Detection of explosives, narcotics and nuclear materials using neutrons

The conventional explosive detection technology such as X-rays to detect explosive and other contraband substances hidden inside cargo, vehicle or suitcases can determine shapes and densities of such substances and are generally chemically blind. This leads to false recognition of material that may be physically similar to explosive compounds. It is due to the limitations of conventional techniques that neutron based techniques are currently under active development. Neutrons not only penetrate the thick shielding of cargo but they are also able to identify elemental composition of material inside cargo leading to lower false alarm rate. Over the years several neutron based techniques for explosive detection have been developed and some of them are under active testing for explosive detection in marine and air cargo containers. In this talk, thermal, fast and tagged neutron based technique for detection of such contraband substances hidden inside marine and air cargo containers and in passenger vehicle will be discussed. The work being carried out at BARC on simulation, exploratory experiment and development of prototype systems will be discussed along with merits and limitations of these techniques. 




About Dr. Amar Sinha 

Dr Amar Sinha is the Project Manager of Neutron and X-ray Physics facilities under Physics Group at BARC. He graduated from the 20th Batch of BARC training school and obtained his Ph.D on the design of “Spallation neutron source for the simulation of radiation damage in fusion materials”. Dr Sinha is responsible for commissioning, operation and utilization of Purnima neutron generator which is now working in both D-D and D-T mode. He group is responsible for theoretical and experimental program on of neutron generator including explosive and fissile material detection, coupling it to subcritical assembly for simulating ADSS as well as neutron tomography and neutron phase imaging beamline at CIRUS. He has earlier worked on neutron based technique for two phase flow studies on AHWR and with Mangalore University on developing microtron based photoneutron source. He along with his group have developed a new x-ray imaging technique called Phase contrast imaging and used it successfully for several microimaging applications. He is also responsible for putting up a imaging beamline at INDUS-II synchrotron at CAT, Indore which will be a national facility for material science and medical research using phase imaging and microtomography. Dr Sinha has also been involved in developing several spinoff technologies such as digital medical imaging system which has been installed at BARC hospital since 2004 and portable battery based unclaimed baggage inspection system for ECIL. 

Dr Sinha has been the principal investigator of several of IAEA coordinated research programs on advanced neutron sources and neutron- based explosive detection. He has published more than 90 papers in international and national journals. He has been awarded the DAE-Technical Excellence Award -2005 for his work on X-ray and neutron imaging.