ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. military researchers are approaching industry for new enabling technologies in ghost imaging for active nuclear interrogation to detect dangerous materials like uranium, plutonium, high explosives, and chemical agents concealed in cargo containers or other hiding places.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., issued a request for information (DARPA-SS-26-02) last Friday for the Active Nuclear Interrogation With Ghost Imaging project.
Ghost imaging reconstructs images of an object by using correlations between two separated light beams, rather than by collecting conventional image data from light interacting with the object itself. One beam passes through or reflects off of the object, and a simple single-pixel bucket detector measures it, while a conventional multi-pixel detector or camera detects other beam.
The DARPA Defense Sciences Office (DSO), is requesting information on technologies for active nuclear interrogation using correlated particles like neutrons and gamma ray photons classical, quantum, and computational Ghost Imaging for active nuclear interrogation techniques with improved performance compared to state of the art.
Finding nuclear materials
Active nuclear interrogation detects, identifies, and characterizes special nuclear materials like uranium, plutonium, and other dangerous materials like high explosives and chemical agents.
Over the past 20 years, researchers have developed ghost imaging using correlations in classical light and quantum-entangled optical photons. More recently academic laboratories have demonstrated ghost imaging with X-rays, electrons, and neutrons.
Yet, ghost imaging provides potential performance advantages when integrated with active interrogation such as dose minimization, enhanced signal-to-noise ratios, and increased standoff distances, researchers say.
Tell me more about ghost imaging in active nuclear interrogation ...
- Ghost imaging in active nuclear interrogation involves using a combination of classical and quantum techniques to detect and identify nuclear materials without directly interacting with them. It leverages entangled photon pairs, where one photon is sent through the object, like a cargo container, while the other acts as a reference. The reference photon is measured, and this information is correlated with the transmission data of the object. By analyzing the correlation, a high-resolution image can be reconstructed, revealing hidden nuclear materials. This method allows for non-invasive, highly sensitive detection, improving security while reducing the risk of damaging or altering the objects being scanned. It's particularly useful in customs inspections or sensitive military contexts.
Laboratory technology shows potential to disrupt conventional active nuclear interrogation in the future by extending laboratory experiments to field-deployable ghost imaging interrogation systems.
This technique works by exposing a target like a cargo containers, fuel reprocessing streams, or suspected illicit materials to a controlled source of radiation like neutrons or high-energy photons, and analyzing the resulting radiation emissions -- including neutrons and gamma rays produced from induced fission or nuclear reactions.
From industry, DARPA is looking for information that can improve the performance of ghost imaging-based active nuclear interrogation, to include resolution, dynamic range, signal-to-noise, and stand-off distance. DARPA wants to investigate the potential advantages of classical or quantum correlations in ghost imaging that uses beams of electrons, neutrons, gammas rays.
Areas of interest
Areas of interest are sources of correlated particles and beams from correlated and entangled neutrons, X-rays, and other particles for active nuclear interrogation. Researchers also are interested in detectors for active interrogation with ghost imaging; and computational methods that can adapt to active nuclear interrogation.
Also of interest are modeling and simulation to predict the performance of active interrogation systems with ghost imaging, and data analysis approaches that use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
Companies interested should email brief white papers no later than 8 Dec. 2025 to DARPA at [email protected]. Email questions or concerns to [email protected]. More information is online at https://sam.gov/wor
