Detection of microscopic fission track (FT) star-shaped clusters, developed in a solid state nuclear track detector (SSNTD) by etching, created by fission fragments emitted from particles of fissile materials irradiated by neutrons, is a key technique in nuclear forensics and safeguards investigation. It involves scanning and imaging of a large area, typically 100–400 mm2, of a translucent SSNTD (e.g., polycarbonate sheet, mica, etc.) to identify the FT clusters, sparse as they may be, that must be distinguished from dirt and other artifacts present in the image. This task, if done manually, is time consuming, operator dependent, and prone to human errors. To solve this problem, an automated workflow has been developed for (a) scanning large area detectors, in order to acquire large images with adequate high resolution, and (b) processing the images with a scheme, implemented in ImageJ, to automatically detect the FT clusters. The scheme combines intensity-based segmentation approaches with a morphological algorithm capable of detecting and counting endpoints in putative FT clusters in order to reject non-FT artifacts. In this paper, the workflow is described, and very promising preliminary results are shown.
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July 2017
Research-Article
Fission Track Detection Using Automated Microscopy
Aryeh M. Weiss,
Aryeh M. Weiss
Faculty of Engineering and
Nanotechnology Center,
Bar Ilan University,
Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
e-mail: aryeh@cc.huji.ac.il
Nanotechnology Center,
Bar Ilan University,
Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
e-mail: aryeh@cc.huji.ac.il
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Itzhak Halevy,
Itzhak Halevy
Department of Physics,
IAEC-NRCN,
Beer-Sheva 84190, Israel
IAEC-NRCN,
Beer-Sheva 84190, Israel
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Naida Dziga,
Naida Dziga
SGAS Laboratories,
IAEA-Seibersdorf,
Vienna A-1400l, Austria
IAEA-Seibersdorf,
Vienna A-1400l, Austria
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Ernesto Chinea-Cano,
Ernesto Chinea-Cano
SGAS Laboratories,
IAEA-Seibersdorf,
Vienna A-1400l, Austria
IAEA-Seibersdorf,
Vienna A-1400l, Austria
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Uri Admon
Uri Admon
Department of Materials,
IAEC-NRCN,
Beer-Sheva 84190, Israel
IAEC-NRCN,
Beer-Sheva 84190, Israel
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Aryeh M. Weiss
Faculty of Engineering and
Nanotechnology Center,
Bar Ilan University,
Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
e-mail: aryeh@cc.huji.ac.il
Nanotechnology Center,
Bar Ilan University,
Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
e-mail: aryeh@cc.huji.ac.il
Itzhak Halevy
Department of Physics,
IAEC-NRCN,
Beer-Sheva 84190, Israel
IAEC-NRCN,
Beer-Sheva 84190, Israel
Naida Dziga
SGAS Laboratories,
IAEA-Seibersdorf,
Vienna A-1400l, Austria
IAEA-Seibersdorf,
Vienna A-1400l, Austria
Ernesto Chinea-Cano
SGAS Laboratories,
IAEA-Seibersdorf,
Vienna A-1400l, Austria
IAEA-Seibersdorf,
Vienna A-1400l, Austria
Uri Admon
Department of Materials,
IAEC-NRCN,
Beer-Sheva 84190, Israel
IAEC-NRCN,
Beer-Sheva 84190, Israel
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received September 28, 2016; final manuscript received March 23, 2017; published online May 25, 2017. Assoc. Editor: Jean Koch.
ASME J of Nuclear Rad Sci. Jul 2017, 3(3): 030910 (7 pages)
Published Online: May 25, 2017
Article history
Received:
September 28, 2016
Revised:
March 23, 2017
Citation
Weiss, A. M., Halevy, I., Dziga, N., Chinea-Cano, E., and Admon, U. (May 25, 2017). "Fission Track Detection Using Automated Microscopy." ASME. ASME J of Nuclear Rad Sci. July 2017; 3(3): 030910. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4036434
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