Self-occluding quad NaI directional gamma radiation detector for standoff radiation detection

Currently there is a significant amount of interest in standoff radiation detection. One of the biggest challenges is to separate small radiation signals from large varying background radiation. Many systems have been developed to address this problem that rely on coded-aperture and/or Compton imaging. These imaging systems tend to be large, heavy, complex, and therefore expensive. In this paper we report on the development of a self-occluding directional gamma radiation sensor that is relatively small (<40 kg), inexpensive, and simple in design. Laboratory and field measurements suggest that these sensors will work as well as the gamma imaging systems for many radiation detection applications at a fraction of the cost, weight, and complexity. An azimuth can be resolved with a standard deviation of 7 degrees in 10 seconds for a source yielding 45 CPS at the detector in a 300 CPS background radiation field. This paper describes the self-occluding quad NaI directional gamma radiation detector, the impact of gamma energy and distance on angular precision and accuracy, and potential applications.