NATIONAL LAB SEEKS TO LICENSE RADIATION DETECTION TECHNOLOGY

摘要

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is seeking to license a recently developed radiation detector that has the capability to detect radioactive materials via both gamma rays and neutrons. The Ultrahigh Energy-Resolution Gamma and Fast-Neutron Spectrometer, called UltraSpec for short, is described as "a new analytical tool" for the non-destructive examination of nuclear materials. The UltraSpec device uses microcalorimetric techniques at very low temperatures in which an ultra-sensitive superconducting thermometer measures the energy of radiation from the increase in temperature upon absorption of a gamma ray or neutron. Users can configure the device either as a gamma-ray or neutron spectrometer, depending on the choice of radiation absorber that is attached to the superconducting sensor, which can be interchanged by opening up the instrument and replacing the sensor.