Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme

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AGA: Arbeitsgruppe Physik und Abrüstung

AGA 7: An Overview of Physics and Disarmament Research in Germany – Social Event & Poster Session

AGA 7.6: Poster

Thursday, March 19, 2026, 17:30–18:30, KH 00.016

A muon detector concept for non-destructive imaging and material distinction for verification of nuclear items — •Nicolas Schwarz, Yan-Jie Schnellbach, and Sarah Friedrich — Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) aims to ensure the exclusively peaceful civilian use of fissile material and nuclear technology in energy generation and disarmament. They are implemented by state parties and controlled by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This contribution presents a conceptual muon detector as a safeguard for the purpose of (re-)verification. Ideally, such detectors could look inside closed compartments, advantageous for radioactive contents that pose a hazard for human safety, when opened. Muography is already established in structure analysis of civil engineering, archeology and geological research of volcanoes. Cosmic muons are naturally emerging as secondary rays in the atmosphere and are therefore suitable probes for passive measurements. They belong to minimum ionizing particles (MIPs) and thus the mean energy loss is a function of the momentum alone in the Bethe region. The proposed detector concept studied in this work is a two-sided hybrid muon detector, that uses a PVT scintillator hodoscope for muon track reconstruction, and a liquid organic TPC for calorimetric energy loss measurement. Simulation-based feasibility studies have been conducted to yield density images and show that a differentiation of heterogeneous materials is possible. A final disposal container will be used as a Spent Nuclear Fuel test subject to apply the insights gained from this analysis.

Keywords: Verification; Safeguards; Muography