2009 R&D 100 Winner
The small size, light weight, low power requirements, and ruggedness of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (Livermore, Calif.) GeMini Spectrometer should give workers and researchers a valuable new tool for finding the tell-tale signs of nuclear radiation in the field or in space. Previously, high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy was largely confined to laboratory settings because of the need for cryogenic cooling. Instead of relying on liquid nitrogen as most similar spectroscopes do, the germanium-based GeMini employs a small electromechanical cooler that allows the device to maintain cryogenic temperature. This cooler is based on the “Stirling cycle”, in which a coolant absorbs heat at the compression stage of the process and then removes that heat to regulate the temperature. A side benefit: the low-power cooling system has reduced the spectrometer’s size so it can fit in one hand. The small profile may also lead to space-borne applications, as well as homeland security, nuclear regulation, and other earth-bound applications.
Technology
Portable gamma-ray spectrometer
Developer
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
