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Aimed at a fundamental understanding of materials that demonstrate measurable changes when stimulated by radiation or particles from WMD in the environment, Thrust Area 1 involves exploration and exploitation of interactions between materials and various electromagnetic phenomena, molecules, nuclear radiation and particles. These interactions may be correlated with the presence, identity, and quantity of material or energy in the environment that may be significant. Specific target capabilities include the following:
RN Standoff Detection and Wide-Area Search
RN Point Detection
Technical Nuclear Forensics
For a list of what we have funded in the past, see our Complete Award History (Excel).
DTRA-funded Researchers Develop Low-Cost, High-Performance Organic Photodetectors for Radiation Sensing
Idaho State University Pushes the Limits of Standoff Detection of Fissile Materials
UCLA Researchers Develop Nanohybrid Scintillators with Light Yield Twice That of the Best Commercial Plastic Scintillators
Sandia Scientists Demonstrate a Unique “Nanolaboratory” for Design of Novel Scintillators for Radiation and Chemical Detection
New Class of Gamma Detecting Materials Discovered by Northwestern University Show Promise for Room Temperature Detectors
University of New Mexico Researchers Develop Method to Analyze Post-detonation Debris in the Field without the Need for Chemical Separation
University of Michigan Researchers Demonstrate Solid State Room Temperature Radiation Detectors with the Resolution of HPGe at a Fraction of the Fabrication
DTRA-funded Researchers Develop Novel Gravimetric Sensors for Detection of Dense Materials at Standoff Distances at 1000 Times the Sensitivity