NukeDetector
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Sandia Labs develops nuke-detecting camera
Aiming to plug the huge security hole that is our domestic port system, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a so-called "neutron-scatter" camera that is able to detect almost any radioactive material in its field of view -- even if it's hidden behind layers of shielding, such as in a cargo container. While traditional gamma ray-based handheld detectors are hobbled by relatively stringent proximity requirements, the Sandia cam uses an array of orthogonal sensors to pinpoint neutrons in 3D space at a "classified" distance, although its bulk and laggy result times mean that both types of devices should be used together for maximum efficiency. Currently the prototype neutron-scatter cameras are being deployed to several field locations for calibration, where their detectors will be trained to better compensate for background radiation and reduce incidences of false alarms.[Photo courtesy of Sandia National Labs]
DIY nuke detector patrolling San Francisco Bay
While being in the weapons distribution biz may seem a bit dodgy, an enterprising team in San Francisco is looking to prove their device is out to protect and serve (and save a lot of money). The Department of Homeland Security is looking to add safeguards to American ports by installing a series of radiation scanners designed to detect hidden nukes (and, we hope, dirty bombs) on incoming shipments. The problem is the $1.15 billion this project is supposed to cost, not to mention the five years it'll take to get it installed, so we're still pretty much exposed for awhile. Not one to take a (potential) threat lying down, physicist / Sandia Lab weapons subcontractor Stanley Glaros is manning a team which has already built a "boat-mounted radiation detection device from off-the-shelf components." The homebrew rad sniffer gives a visual alarm via a "sodium iodide crystal" that turns blue when danger is near (remember Frodo's sword?), but the mechanics behind the lighthearted signifier is no laughing matter. An Ortec Digibase photo-multiplier picks up signals over the air, which are collected into dynodes, and then run through a multichannel analyzer to identify radiological signatures. Regardless of the means, this nuke detector has been running "successfully" for eight months, and coming in at a cool $12,000 apiece, we're all for getting the job done on the cheap (and showing up the DHS in the process).
