RPI Physicist Develops Quantum Sensing Probe to Boost Nuclear Security

RPI Physicist Develops Quantum Sensing Probe to Boost Nuclear Security
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 14, 2024

The security of our nation relies heavily on the effective detection of nuclear materials at borders and other critical points. In an effort to enhance this capability, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) physicist Moussa N'Gom, Ph.D., is leading pioneering research to develop a quantum sensing probe that can precisely detect and characterize special nuclear materials without direct contact. These materials, although only mildly radioactive, have the potential to be used in nuclear explosives.

This research is part of RPI's involvement in the Consortium for Enabling Technologies and Innovation. The consortium, one of two recently established by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, is part of a $50 million initiative aimed at bolstering nuclear security and nonproliferation efforts. RPI is among 12 universities participating in this consortium, which is led by the Georgia Institute of Technology.

N'Gom, who is an associate professor of physics and applied physics at RPI, has dubbed his project "Light with a Twist: An Adaptive Quantum Sensing Probe in Which a Bright Single Photon Source is Guided in Free Space To Remotely Interact, Detect, and Characterize Special Nuclear Materials." His team is utilizing light to create an advanced quantum sensing probe that will serve as a new method for nuclear verification, based on spectroscopy and optics.

"In a single photon source, whenever a first photon has shown up, the exact same photon is guaranteed to follow, allowing for precise timing and control," N'Gom explained. "Any signal detected other than the source signal is a precise response or measurement from special nuclear materials with which the single photon interacts."

The expected outcome of the probe includes improved precision in controlling, measuring, detecting, and characterizing special nuclear materials. Once the concept is fully developed, national laboratories will undertake testing to verify that the technology is ready for deployment in the private sector.

"Dr. N'Gom's project is leveraging quantum sensing techniques, which allow for detection of the change in environment due to the presence of special nuclear materials and other phenomena in a very precise way," said Curt Breneman, Ph.D., Dean of Rensselaer's School of Science. "I am proud that his research will contribute to such an important cause. His work represents another way that RPI, the first university to have an IBM Quantum System One on its campus, is exploring the vast potential of the quantum realm to conduct impactful research."