Neutron back scattering for the search of the Battle of Anghiari.

The 'Battle of Anghiari' is a wall painting made by Leonardo Da Vinci around 1505. Its present day location is unknown but some indications suggest that the mural might be concealed behind a brick wall. Test measurements are presented demonstrating that neutron back scattering (NBS) can be used to search through the wall for the painting. NBS is a non-destructive technique to establish the presence of the hydrogen contained in the painting materials that were probably used by Da Vinci.

DUNBID, the Delft University neutron backscattering imaging detector.

In the search for low-metallic land mines, the neutron backscattering technique may be applied if the soil is sufficiently dry. An advantage of this method is the speed of detection: the scanning speed may be made comparable to that of a metal detector. A two-dimensional position sensitive detector is tested to obtain an image of the back scattered thermal neutron radiation. Results of experiments using a radionuclide neutron source are presented. The on-mine to no-mine signal ratio can be improved by the application of a window on the neutron time-of-flight. Results using a pulsed neutron generator are also presented.

The status of the Delft University Neutron Backscatter Landmine Detector (DUNBLAD).

The neutron backscattering technique may be applied to search for non-metallic landmines in relatively dry soils. A detector system using this technique has been constructed. Tests showed that anti-tank mines can reliably be found, but that, depending on the circumstances, anti-personnel mines may escape detection. A first test with a pulsed neutron generator shows that further improvements can be achieved by applying a window on the neutron transit time.