3D Compton Imaging of Distributed Sources around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
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Portable radiation detection systems can be equipped with contextual sensors to allow free-moving 3D gamma-ray imaging in a method called scene data fusion (SDF). The scene information provided by the contextual sensors can be used to enable 3D imaging and constrain image reconstruction to improve imaging accuracy and computational efficiency. SDF could be a useful tool in many applications, including radiation mapping for accident remediation. To demonstrate this concept, Polaris-LAMP, a commercially available detector that has been integrated with contextual sensors, was operated in and around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Compton imaging techniques are applied to the data collected over a series of 20-50 minute dynamic measurements around Pripyat, a nearby town which has been abandoned since the accident. These reconstruction techniques created 3D maps of gamma-ray sources and successfully identified hot spot candidates on key features of the scenes investigated, demonstrating the usefulness of SDF in radiation mapping of unknown distributed source environments. The contextual data captured by Polaris-LAMP also generated interesting visual products of scenes around Pripyat.