Advances in imaging with thermal neutrons

Experiments have been conducted using a modern high-resolution {sup 3}He two-dimensional position-sensitive detection chamber combined with coded apertures to produce images by means of thermal neutrons. These images are comparable to those produced by gamma ray imaging, but with some important differences. The detector is much less sensitive to the fast neutrons than to the thermalized component. Therefore, assuming that the neutron source has a fission spectrum, the brightest regions in an image represent moderating material in close proximity to the source, rather than the source itself. Earlier experiments have shown that useful contrast can be produced with thermal neutrons using thin masks made of metallic Cd sheet, but the resolution in those experiments was detector-limited at a few centimeters per pixel. The newer detector can resolve a line image with a fwhm resolution of about 1 mm. The technique could in principle be used in re-entry vehicle on-site inspections to count multiple nuclear warheads. Thermal neutrons carry no detailed spectral information, so their detection should not be as intrusive as gamma ray imaging. This technique can be used in nuclear materials management and arms control.