Quantitative gamma-ray imaging with coded aperture method

Abstract The radiation imaging and intensity quantification of radioactive material is attracting increasing attention in numerous applications including radiological source investigation, radiation safety, nuclear security, nuclear facility maintenance and decommissioning. Here, quantitative intensity measurement of the far-field radioactive source is achieved by gamma-ray imaging, which is based on the conventional mask-antimask coded aperture approach. A multi-sensor radiation imaging system that fuses gamma-ray images, optical pictures, and 3D point clouds into a single vision is what we have created. Without the use of a mobile platform for numerous measurements or trajectory data, it is possible to simultaneously and in real time obtain the intensity and distribution of radioactive sources. In order to demonstrate the exceptional noise-resistant nature of the proposed quantitative gamma-ray imaging technique in the presence of interfering radiation, we present experimental results of point-like sources and actual nuclear power plant scenarios. This encourages further possibilities for widespread coded aperture applications. Incidentally, the system we designed offers a highly promising solution for the upgrade of existing coded aperture cameras.