Friday, March 30, 2012

No. 473: A special camera to visualize radioactive contamination (March 30, 2012)

Technology
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) developed a special camera that visualizes radioactive contamination by improving the high-performance camera mounted on an artificial satellite. Radioactive contamination is displayed on the screen in color in accordance with the intensity level. The agency conducted the substantiative experiment in Fukushima and confirmed that it would be useful for effective decontamination. It modified the semiconductor Compton camera to detect gamma beam for the terresterial application. The new camera has a view angle of 180 degrees.

It is possible to know the distribution of radioactive substances at a glance by overlapping an image taken by the special camera with an image taken by a general digital camera. Large amount of gamma beam is displayed in red. The camera successfully detected gamma beam in a place 20 m away in the experiment, and it enabled the research team to confirm the serious contamination in side ditches and around forests where radioactive cesium tends to accumulate. JAXA continues the research for the practical application of this camera to make it play an important role in the decontamination in Fukushima Prefecture.  

 JAXA's special camera to visualize radioactive contamination

1 comment:

  1. Now society will be able to see just HOW MUCH real damage is being done by the fallout from the destroyed reactors.

    The fun is just beginning.

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