Scanning of radioluminescence emission with a PMT for remote detection of alpha contamination

The malicious use of radioactive materials is a threat that requires a high-level of expertise and preparedness from security entities. While such events are rare, a routine task for a forensic investigator team could be to find out whether radioactive materials have been handled in the specified area. This can be a tedious task especially in the case of alpha-active materials, which are hard to detect due to low gamma yields and range limitations of conventional alpha detection techniques. The fatal poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 has shown that there is skill and will to use these materials for criminal purposes [1].