Library Generation for Detection and Identification of Shielded Radioisotopes

Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed operable to generate data representing possible materials that may be present when monitoring a region or space for a radioisotope of interest, comprising:

• storing first data representing an interaction between radiation at a plurality of energy levels and a representative material for each of a plurality of subgroups within each of a plurality of material groups into which the possible materials are grouped, and wherein each material group is subdivided into a plurality of subgroups based on atomic number and/or electronic affinity of a material;
• storing second data representing spectral characteristics of each radioisotope of interest at the plurality of energy levels;
• for each radioisotope of interest, computing spectrum data representing an interaction between the radioisotope of interest using the second data with the first data for each of the plurality of subgroups in each material group;
• and
• storing the spectrum data in library.

A system comprising:

• a data storage unit that stores a library of data comprising spectrum data, wherein the spectrum data is produced by grouping the possible materials into one of a plurality of material groups;
• subdividing each of the material groups into a plurality of subgroups based on atomic number and/or electron affinity of a material;
• storing first data for each of the subgroups of each of the plurality of material groups, wherein the first data represents an interaction between a representative material for a corresponding subgroup and radiation at a plurality of energy levels;
• storing second data representing spectral characteristics of each radioisotope of interest at the plurality of energy levels;
• for each radioisotope of interest, computing spectrum data representing an interaction between the radioisotope of interest using the second data with the first data for each of the plurality of subgroups in each material group;
• and
• a detector device that is configured to interrogate a region or space and to output spectral data resulting from interrogation of the region or space;
• and
• a computing device coupled to the detector device, wherein the computing device compares the spectral data produced by the detector device against the library of spectrum data to determine presence of a radioisotope of interest when there is a sufficient match between the spectral data produced by the detector device and the spectrum data in the library.