Novel muon imaging techniques

Yang, G., Clarkson, T., Gardner, S. , Ireland, D. , Kaiser, R. , Mahon, D. , Al Jebali, R., Shearer, C. and Ryan, M. (2018) Novel muon imaging techniques. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 377, 20180062. (doi: 10.1098/rsta.2018.0062) (PMID:30530538)

Abstract

Owing to the high penetrating power of high-energy cosmic ray muons, muon imaging techniques can be used to image large bulky objects, especially objects with heavy shielding. Muon imaging systems work just like CT scanners in the medical imaging field—that is, they can reveal information inside of a target. There are two forms of muon imaging techniques: muon absorption imaging and muon multiple scattering imaging. The former is based on the flux attenuation of muons, and the latter is based on the multiple scattering of muons in matter. The muon absorption imaging technique is capable of imaging very large objects such as volcanoes and large buildings, and also smaller objects like spent fuel casks; the muon multiple scattering imaging technique is best suited to inspect smaller objects such as nuclear waste containers. Muon imaging techniques can be applied in a broad variety of fields, i.e. from measuring the magma thickness of volcanoes to searching for secret cavities in pyramids, and from monitoring the borders of countries checking for special nuclear materials to monitoring the spent fuel casks for nuclear safeguards applications. In this paper, the principles of muon imaging are reviewed. Image reconstruction algorithms such as Filtered Back Projection and Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization are discussed. The capability of muon imaging techniques is demonstrated through a Geant4 simulation study for imaging a nuclear spent fuel cask.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was partially supported by the EPSRC and STFC Impact Accelerator Accounts at the University of Glasgow (EP/K503903/1) and by Lynkeos Technology Ltd.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Shearer, Dr Craig and Gardner, Mr Simon and Al Jebali, Dr Ramsey and Clarkson, Mr Anthony and Mahon, Mr David and Ireland, Professor David and Ryan, Mr Matthew and Kaiser, Professor Ralf and Yang, Dr Guangliang
• Authors: Yang, G., Clarkson, T., Gardner, S., Ireland, D., Kaiser, R., Mahon, D., Al Jebali, R., Shearer, C., and Ryan, M.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
• Publisher: Royal Society
• ISSN: 1364-503X
• ISSN (Online): 1471-2962
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2018 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 377:20180062
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy