A novel personal radiation detection and identification device

A radiation detector providing enhanced identification capabilities aimed for use in the homeland security market is presented. This need arises from operational difficulties derived from the high probability for innocent alarm and masking scenarios. In order to approach these operational requirements, a new Spectroscopic Personal Radiation Detector (SPRD) was developed based on the advanced LaBr(Ce) scintillation crystal. The detector´s high resolution together with an internal sophisticated algorithm enables decreasing the false alarm rate generated by innocent material as well as missed alarms caused by masking scenarios. The role of this device as part of the comprehensive methodology to combat the Homeland Security nuclear/radiological threat is discussed. The device designed constrains and configuration, as well as its functionality and performance, are presented and discussed.