RADIATION MONITORING DEVICES, INC. — Department of Homeland Security SBIR Phase I: The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear missiles and “dirty bombs

RADIATION MONITORING DEVICES, INC. — SBIR Phase I award from Department of Homeland Security.

Amount
$149,998
Agency
Department of Homeland Security
Program / Phase
SBIR · Phase I
NAICS
Place of performance
MA
Period
2011-09-09 → 2012-03-31

Description

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear missiles and “dirty bombs” is a serious threat in the world today. Preventing the spread of these nuclear weapons has reached a state of heightened urgency in recent years, more so since the events on September 11, 2001 and its aftermath. Gamma-ray spectrometers are an important tool in monitoring the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Important requirements for the gamma-ray spectrometers used for nuclear non-proliferation include high energy resolution, high detection efficiency, low cost and reasonably fast response. None of the existing gamma-ray detectors satisfy all these requirements. Recently, a new class of Eu2+ doped scintillators based on BaI2-CsI compositions have shown considerable promise in gamma-ray spectroscopy. The goal of the proposed effort is to investigate and advance this promising class of scintillators.