Detection and Imaging of High-Z Materials with a Muon Tomography Station Using GEM Detectors

Understand

Muon tomography based on the measurement of multiple scattering of atmospheric cosmic ray muons is a promising technique for detecting and imaging heavily shielded high-Z nuclear materials such as enriched uranium.

• This technique could complement standard radiation detection portals currently deployed at international borders and ports, which are not very sensitive to heavily shielded nuclear materials.
• We image small targets in 3D using $2\times 2 \times 2 mm^3$ voxels with a minimal muon tomography station prototype that tracks muons with Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors read out in 2D with x-y microstrips of 400 micron pitch.
• With preliminary electronics, the GEM detectors achieve a spatial resolution of 130 microns in both dimensions.