U.K. Uses Cosmic-Ray Technology to Foil Nuclear Smugglers
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British scientists are using technology developed at the Large Hadron Collider to create a new generation of detectors that harness cosmic rays to thwart smugglers of nuclear materials.
The machines, which are at the prototype stage, pick up muons, a type of subatomic particle that penetrates substances that block X-rays and many other types of radiation. Their path is deflected by very dense matter, a trait that can be used to help security forces detect radioactive materials as well as containers designed to shield them.