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Imaging technologies for safeguards and beyond

The growing performances of digital systems, combined with the success of data-driven algorithms, are enormously improving the potential of imaging technologies, offering new perspectives on nuclear materials safeguards.

Passive gamma emission tomography

Multi-probe imaging

Future objectives

Among the ongoing activities, the JRC is studying the feasibility of muon tomography for the reverification of dry casks for long-term storage of nuclear materials. Here, a non-destructive method is mandatory, and the high-energy cosmic muons represent a suitable probe to penetrate the thick and strongly absorbing materials casks are made of, leveraging the deeply penetrating properties of these particles. However, the atmospheric muon flux is such that a single muon passes through an area the size of a human hand per second: again, low-statistics and scarce data reconstruction algorithms will play a crucial role.

To find out more about the JRC's work on similar topics, explore the related JRC portfolios: