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Effects of $$gamma$$-ray polarization in NRF-based nondestructive assay of nuclear materials

Omer, M.  ; Hajima, Ryoichi*; Shizuma, Toshiyuki*; Koizumi, Mitsuo 

Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) is a process in which the electric and/or the magnetic dipole excitations of the nucleus take place. Since these excitations are unique signatures of each nucleus, the NRF provides a practical tool for a non-destructive detection and assay of nuclear materials. Using a polarized $$gamma$$-ray beam, distinguishing the nature of the excitation is straightforward. At a scattering angle of 90$$^{circ}$$, the electric dipole excitations are radiated normal to the polarization plane whereas the magnetic dipole excitations are radiated in the same plane as the incident beam polarization. By contrast, other $$gamma$$-ray interactions with the atom may exhibit different responses regarding the polarization of the incident beam. For example, the elastic scattering is expected to give approximately 60% lower yield in the direction of the incident beam polarization than the other direction. This fact significantly affects the sensitivity of the NRF technique because it is not possible to separate the NRF and the elastic scattering on the basis of the photon energy. We report the results of a photon scattering experiment on $$^{238}$$U using a 100% linearly polarized $$gamma$$-ray beam with an energy of 2.04 MeV. We demonstrate how the elastic scattering responds to the polarization of the incident beam. Accordingly, we are able to resolve the effects of the polarization of incident photon in an NRF measurement.

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