Published May 14, 2013 | Version v1
Journal article

Imaging a nuclear reactor using cosmic ray muons

  • 1. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
  • 2. Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-0001 (United States)
  • 3. National Security Technologies, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
  • 4. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

Description

The passage of muons through matter is dominated by the Coulomb interaction with electrons and nuclei. The muon interaction with electrons leads to continuous energy loss and stopping of the muons. The muon interaction with nuclei leads to angular diffusion. We present experimental images of a nuclear reactor, the AGN-201M reactor at the University of New Mexico, using data measured with a particle tracker built from a set of sealed drift tubes. The data are compared with a geant4 model. In both the data and simulation, we identify specific regions corresponding to elements of the reactor structure, including its core, moderator, and shield.

Additional details

Identifiers

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Journal of Applied Physics
Journal Volume
113
Journal Issue
18
Journal Page Range
p. 184909-184909.9
ISSN
0021-8979
CODEN
JAPIAU

Optional Information

Notes
(c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC