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A study of a Skew-Hadamard URA coded neutron PGAI technique with a rotating modulation collimator.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	A study of a Skew-Hadamard URA coded neutron PGAI technique with a rotating modulation collimator.
Authors:	Wang, Ze liang¹ (AUTHOR), Zhang, Zhen hua¹ (AUTHOR), Jia, Wen bao¹ (AUTHOR) jiawenbao@163.com, Liang, Xu wen^1,2 (AUTHOR), Li, Ji cheng¹ (AUTHOR), Xiao, Chen min¹ (AUTHOR), Cui, Yu meng¹ (AUTHOR), Chen, Lu³ (AUTHOR), Cheng, Can⁴ (AUTHOR) chengcan@njtech.edu.cn
Source:	Journal of Radioanalytical & Nuclear Chemistry. Feb2026, Vol. 335 Issue 2, p1027-1038. 12p.
Subject Terms:	Elemental analysis, Collimators, Neutron flux, Neutron radiography, Expectation-maximization algorithms, Neutron sources
Abstract:	Prompt Gamma Activation Imaging (PGAI) is an advanced elemental mapping technique that probes elemental distributions within a sample by detecting characteristic gamma rays emitted under neutron irradiation. Conventional PGAI relies on high-flux neutron sources from large reactor facilities, combined with collimated scanning, to achieve spatially resolved elemental information. However, this method is time-consuming, and its dependence on high neutron flux limits its widespread adoption.In this study, we introduce a novel approach adapted for low-flux neutron sources. A skew-Hadamard Uniformly Redundant Array (URA) was used to fabricate a rotating modulation collimator (RMC) with multiple mask patterns, which spatially modulates the neutron beam emitted from an Am–Be source. A single-pixel gamma detector was employed to record the characteristic gamma rays emitted by the sample, and the elemental distribution was reconstructed using the Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization (MLEM) algorithm. The results confirm that this method can accurately reconstruct elemental distributions even under low-flux conditions, demonstrating its feasibility for field-deployable imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Database:	Energy & Power Source

Description
Abstract:	Prompt Gamma Activation Imaging (PGAI) is an advanced elemental mapping technique that probes elemental distributions within a sample by detecting characteristic gamma rays emitted under neutron irradiation. Conventional PGAI relies on high-flux neutron sources from large reactor facilities, combined with collimated scanning, to achieve spatially resolved elemental information. However, this method is time-consuming, and its dependence on high neutron flux limits its widespread adoption.In this study, we introduce a novel approach adapted for low-flux neutron sources. A skew-Hadamard Uniformly Redundant Array (URA) was used to fabricate a rotating modulation collimator (RMC) with multiple mask patterns, which spatially modulates the neutron beam emitted from an Am–Be source. A single-pixel gamma detector was employed to record the characteristic gamma rays emitted by the sample, and the elemental distribution was reconstructed using the Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization (MLEM) algorithm. The results confirm that this method can accurately reconstruct elemental distributions even under low-flux conditions, demonstrating its feasibility for field-deployable imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	02365731
DOI:	10.1007/s10967-026-10770-x