A Simple Approach to Data Analysis for the Detection of Hazardous Materials by Means of Neutron Activation Analysis

Neutron activation analysis is a well-known method for determining isotopic composition of different materials. Due to the non-destructive nature of the method it can also be used in homeland security application, for example an inspection of packages of unknown origin. For this purpose hazardous material detection system (SWAN) was built. The device has an automatic decision algorithm that analyze the spectrum of gamma rays of C-12, N-14 and O-16. Characteristic ratio of these lines gives the requested answer. Using such a simple approach SWAN is able to obtain promising results.