Journal of Radiation Safety and Measurement

Journal of Radiation Safety and Measurement

Application of Muon Scattering Tomography in the Identification of Radioactive Materials Using Monte Carlo Simulation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Zahra Imani
Najmeh Mohammadi
Yousef Pezeshkian
Department of Physics, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Tabriz University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran
10.22052/rsm.2026.256677.1122
Abstract
This paper focuses on the identification and imaging of radioactive materials, specifically nuclear waste, using the muon scattering tomography technique. In this study, the Geant4 Monte Carlo code was employed to investigate the scattering angles and energy attenuation of muons as they passed through various radioactive materials. For this purpose, 105 monoenergetic muons with energies ranging from 1 GeV to 8 GeV were emitted from the surface in energy steps of 100 MeV and propagated through materials including uranium, plutonium, strontium, cobalt, cadmium, and cesium. The results demonstrated that the scattering angle is proportional to the density of the materials. Specifically, in low-density materials like cesium, the most probable scattering angle reached 13.05 mRad, while in higher-density materials like plutonium, it reached 68.05 mRad. Additionally, it was observed that as the energy of the incident muons increased, their angular deflection decreased, consistent with Molière’s theory predictions. Furthermore, greater energy attenuation of muons was noted in high-density materials. Based on the obtained results, higher muon penetration was observed in materials with lower densities, which can be beneficial for operational applications such as the management and monitoring of nuclear waste repositories. Therefore, the differential behavior of muons when interacting with materials of varying densities can serve as a precise and efficient tool for the detection of radioactive substances.
Keywords
Muon Scattering Tomography
Monte Carlo Simulation
Geant4
Muon Scattering Angle
Muon Energy Loss
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