Citation:
G. M. Gaukler, Y. Ding, C. Li, S.S. Chirayath, “A Systems Framework for Modeling the Detection of Smuggled Nuclear Materials”, Poster presented at The 4th annual Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) Academic Research Initiative (ARI) Grantees Conference, Alexandria, Virginia, April 26-28, 2011.
Abstract:
We model a set of layered container inspection policies for detecting illicit nuclear materials using radiography information. These inspection policies can be used at ports-of-entry such as sea ports and land border crossings. We argue that the current inspection system at ports of entry, relying heavily on the Automated Targeting System (ATS) and passive radiation detectors, is inherently incapable of reliably detecting shielded nuclear materials. This motivates the development of a set of new inspection policies, which are designed to allow for improved defense against sophisticated adversaries. We demonstrate that these new policies can significantly outperform ATS-based policies. We provide a general framework for nuclear materials detection using these policies using a port network, and we discuss how information from upstream inspection sites can be used to improve detection at downstream sites.