Muonic X-ray Identification of Nuclear Materials Sealed in a Box

Abstract

Non-destructive identification of bismuth metal sealed in an aluminum box was conducted by the muonic X-ray analysis method as a simulation experiment for nuclear fuel materials sealed in a container. This method can identify elements of bulk materials non-destructively and selectively position them by measuring characteristic X-rays emitted from muonic atoms that form after muon irradiation. A pulse mode muon beam induces an abundance of muonic X-ray photons within microseconds, which suppress the background signals from naturally occurring radioactive nuclides and the sample by a factor of 10 -4 . This method can be applied in many applications related to the detection of nuclear materials, nuclear forensics, and debris processing of nuclear accidents.