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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Latest News
The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
Huanyu Han, Xiaoyu Li, Zhi Chen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 211 | Number 4 | April 2025 | Pages 807-820
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2361194
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The detection of planetary water and soil elements is a pivotal area of research due to its implications for understanding celestial bodies. Within the realm of planetary sampling missions, attention is predominantly directed toward the shallow surface layers, typically to a depth of 1 m. This paper examines the Moon as a case study, employing Monte Carlo simulations to introduce an active detection methodology that integrates high-energy neutron pulse generators with neutron and gamma detectors. Simulations were made of the albedo neutrons and prompt gamma counts after mitigating the interference of secondary neutrons and gamma rays, which result from the interaction between galactic cosmic rays and the lunar surface.
The depth limit of active neutron detection on the shallow surface is about 100 cm. The cadmium ratio (CdR), the ratio between total neutron counts and counts caused by nonthermal neutrons, facilitates the rapid and accurate water content calculation using a fitted CdR curve. Standard gamma spectra of the associated elements, derived through Monte Carlo simulations, along with the mixed gamma spectra requiring resolution, form the foundation for the spectral analysis. Utilizing the weighted least-squares method to invert gamma spectra facilitates the identification of the content of associated elements. Integrating the analysis of albedo neutron energy spectra with prompt gamma spectra allows for the rapid assessment of the region’s water content and soil conditions. Moreover, this study also explores the impact of variations in the content of associated elements on the determination of water content.