Dynamic Enhancement of Nitric Oxide Radioluminescence with Nitrogen Purge

Abstract

Remote detection of alpha radiation is commonly realised by collecting the light, the radioluminescence, that is produced when alpha particles are stopped in air. Radioluminescence of nitric oxide (NO) is primarily emitted between 200 nm and 300 nm, which makes it possible to use it for remote detection under daylight conditions. Quenching by ambient oxygen and water vapour, however, makes it generally difficult to effectively create NO radioluminescence. We present the detection of intense NO radioluminescence in ambient air under standard indoor lighting conditions using a nitrogen purge. The nitrogen contained NO impurities that were intrinsic to the gas and had not explicitly been added. We study the mechanisms that govern the NO radioluminescence production and introduce a model to describe the dynamics of the process. The level of NO contained in the gas was found to determine how successful a purge can be. We conclude by discussing possible applications of the technique in nitrogen-flushed gloveboxes at nuclear facilities where NO concentration of 100 ppb–1 ppm would be sufficient for efficient optical alpha radiation detection in standard lighting conditions.

Application and Development of Noncontact Detection Method of α-Particles Based on Radioluminescence

“…In 2019, Kerst et al [ 90 ] investigated the enhancement of nitric oxide luminescence using nitrogen purging. The radioluminescence of nitric oxide is mainly in the wavelength range of 200–300 nm.…”

The Mapping of Alpha-Emitting Radionuclides in the Environment Using an Unmanned Aircraft System

“…The UV-A photon yield can be increased by using a high-purity nitrogen atmosphere, whilst adding trace amounts of NO to the nitrogen atmosphere causes a sharp increase in the UV-C light yield. In the work of Kerst and Toivonen [11,12], the intensity of the UV-C signal was maximized at 50 ppm NO diluted in pure nitrogen. Also, this effect has been illustrated in the work of Krasniqi et al [13], where activities as low as 300 Bq were measured in uranium samples using 3 ppm NO.…”