Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Bayesian algorithm to estimate position and activity of an orphan gamma source utilizing multiple detectors in a mobile gamma spectrometry system

Bukartas, Antanas LU ; Wallin, Jonas LU ; Finck, Robert LU and Rääf, Christopher LU (2021) In PLoS ONE 16(1 January).
Abstract

To avoid harm to the public and the environment, lost ionizing radiation sources must be found and brought back under the regulatory control as soon as possible. Usually, mobile gamma spectrometry systems are used in such search missions. It is possible to estimate the position and activity of point gamma sources by performing Bayesian inference on the measurement data. The aim of this study was to theoretically investigate the improvements in the Bayesian estimations of the position and activity of a point gamma source due to introduction of data from multiple detectors with angular variations of efficiency. Three detector combinations were tested - a single 123% HPGe detector, single 4l NaI (Tl) detector and a 123% HPGe with 2x4l NaI... (More)

To avoid harm to the public and the environment, lost ionizing radiation sources must be found and brought back under the regulatory control as soon as possible. Usually, mobile gamma spectrometry systems are used in such search missions. It is possible to estimate the position and activity of point gamma sources by performing Bayesian inference on the measurement data. The aim of this study was to theoretically investigate the improvements in the Bayesian estimations of the position and activity of a point gamma source due to introduction of data from multiple detectors with angular variations of efficiency. Three detector combinations were tested - a single 123% HPGe detector, single 4l NaI (Tl) detector and a 123% HPGe with 2x4l NaI (Tl) detector combination - with and without angular efficiency variations for each combination resulting in six different variants of the Bayesian algorithm. It was found that introduction of angular efficiency variations of the detectors did improve the accuracy of activity estimation slightly, while introduction of data from additional detectors lowered the signal-to-noise ratio threshold of the system significantly, increasing the stability and accuracy of the estimated source position and activity, for a given signal-to-noise ratio.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
PLoS ONE
volume
16
issue
1 January
article number
e0245440
publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
external identifiers
  • pmid:33481856
  • scopus:85100012940
ISSN
1932-6203
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0245440
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
92d31a61-40f1-4995-8abf-2ab5e9b29f4c
date added to LUP
2021-02-08 10:09:45
date last changed
2024-06-13 06:49:36
@article{92d31a61-40f1-4995-8abf-2ab5e9b29f4c,
  abstract     = {{<p>To avoid harm to the public and the environment, lost ionizing radiation sources must be found and brought back under the regulatory control as soon as possible. Usually, mobile gamma spectrometry systems are used in such search missions. It is possible to estimate the position and activity of point gamma sources by performing Bayesian inference on the measurement data. The aim of this study was to theoretically investigate the improvements in the Bayesian estimations of the position and activity of a point gamma source due to introduction of data from multiple detectors with angular variations of efficiency. Three detector combinations were tested - a single 123% HPGe detector, single 4l NaI (Tl) detector and a 123% HPGe with 2x4l NaI (Tl) detector combination - with and without angular efficiency variations for each combination resulting in six different variants of the Bayesian algorithm. It was found that introduction of angular efficiency variations of the detectors did improve the accuracy of activity estimation slightly, while introduction of data from additional detectors lowered the signal-to-noise ratio threshold of the system significantly, increasing the stability and accuracy of the estimated source position and activity, for a given signal-to-noise ratio.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bukartas, Antanas and Wallin, Jonas and Finck, Robert and Rääf, Christopher}},
  issn         = {{1932-6203}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1 January}},
  publisher    = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
  series       = {{PLoS ONE}},
  title        = {{Bayesian algorithm to estimate position and activity of an orphan gamma source utilizing multiple detectors in a mobile gamma spectrometry system}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245440}},
  doi          = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0245440}},
  volume       = {{16}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}