Nuclear instrumentation for societal applications

Every Nuclear Instrumentation System (NIS) is basically configured keeping in mind the target radiations that one is after and the end goals that the NIS has to meet. Target radiations could include, either individually or in combination, photons (γ), electrons (e^-), positrons (e⁺), protons (p), neutrons (n), muons (μ), pions (π), alpha (α), ions (x⁺), neutrinos and so on. By a proper choice of front end detectors (such as a gas based ionization chamber, a solid state detector, a scintillator backed up by a photomultiplier tube, a nuclear reaction based detector and so on) supported by suitable electronics as well as software to process the output electrical signals, the designer has to ensure that the end goals of NIS are realised. Over the past few decades NI systems have seen remarkable advances and while areas related to nuclear energy, particle accelerators, radiation surveillance applications etc., which are the primary thrust of this 'National Symposium on Nuclear Instrumentation', will be covered by other speakers, in this talk we will endeavour to address use of NIS that are directly linked to societal benefits. In particular, we will cover applications in the areas of medical diagnosis, agriculture, mineral and oil prospecting investigation, hydrological and geochemical studies etc. Building NI systems for such applications, however, not only pose new challenges, but also offer tremendous opportunities, which will be highlighted during the talk. (author)