Improvised Explosive Devices and cosmic rays

Discussion timeslot (ZOOM-Meeting): 16. July 2021 - 18:00
ZOOM-Meeting URL: https://icrc2021.desy.de/pf_access_abstracts
Corresponding Session: https://icrc2021-venue.desy.de/channel/Presenter-Forum-1-Evening-All-Categories/48
Abstract:
"Homemade antipersonnel mines are improvised explosive devices (IED) deployed from unconventional local techniques and materials. IEDs kill thousands of civilians every year, inflicting grievous physical injuries, spreading fear and disruption across affected communities. Colombian mines, made of a combination of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil known as ANFO, may also pack faeces, glass, and plastic scrap for causing infectious diseases on the victims. Therefore, the detection and dismantling of such harmful devices must alleviate the insidious consequences of the internal conflicts that have plagued the country for more than half a century. In this work, we present results that suggest that cosmic rays can be used to detect the type of IED used in Colombia. We implement a GEANT4 simulation of an ANFO sphere of NH4NO3+diesel interacting with cosmic rays flux at the Bucaramanga level (959 m a.s.l.). Simulations considered the IED buried into different soil types: dry soil model, two humid soils, and two fertilized soils. The simulation showed that the studied interaction generates emerging electrons, gammas, neutrons, and protons. Notably, in the IED-soil interaction, protons' energy led to an excess of around 0.58 MeV. This peak is quite pronounced for all soil models, giving a clear indication of the feasibility of using a cosmic ray-based detector for detecting these IEDs in the different types of soils."

Authors: Adriana Vásquez Ramírez | Michael Ariza Gómez | Marcos Carillo Moreno | Victor G Baldovino Medrano | Hernán Asorey | Luis A. Núñez
Indico-ID: 1324
Proceeding URL: https://pos.sissa.it/395/480