Patents Assigned to United States of America, as represented by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency
  • Rediation detector system for locating and identifying special nuclear material in moving vehicles
    Patent number: 8110807
    Abstract: The invention uses a series of combined passive neutron and gamma ray sensors systematically placed along a path of commercial traffic, for example an airport runway, combined with a pulsed source of low energy protons and deuterons. The pulsed source produces monoenergetic gamma rays and low energy (60 keV) neutrons. This pulsed source uses a pinch-reflex ion diode operated on a pulsed power generator to produce proton beams. These beams bombard a PTFE (Teflon) target to produce characteristic gamma-rays. These gamma rays would induce a fission reaction in any fissile material creating gamma rays and neutrons. The passive sensors located in the path of commercial traffic would sense both the resultant gamma and neutron products of the reaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency
    Inventor: Richard Gullickson
  • Rediation detector system for locating and identifying special nuclear material in moving vehicles
    Publication number: 20100224786
    Abstract: The invention uses a series of combined passive neutron and gamma ray sensors systematically placed along a path of commercial traffic, for example an airport runway, combined with a pulsed source of low energy protons and deuterons. The pulsed source produces monoenergetic gamma rays and low energy (60 keV) neutrons. This pulsed source uses a pinch-reflex ion diode operated on a pulsed power generator to produce proton beams. These beams bombard a PTFE (Teflon) target to produce characteristic gamma-rays. These gamma rays would induce a fission reaction in any fissile material creating gamma rays and neutrons. The passive sensors located in the path of commercial traffic would sense both the resultant gamma and neutron products of the reaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2009
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: United States of America, as represented by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency
    Inventor: Richard Gullickson