Gamma radiation stand-off detection, tamper detection, and authentication via resonant meta-material structures
Resonant meta-material structures are defined by metallic, dielectric or other materials that form nanoshells or nanomeshes that can be situated proximate to ionizing-radiation-sensitive layers so as to provide ionizing-radiation-dose-dependent optical properties. Such meta-material structures can also define aligned or periodic, semi-random, or other arrangements of nanostructures that are coupled to or include stressed layers. Detection of optical radiation from such structures is used to determine gamma radiation dose or to detect a disturbance of the nanostructure indicating tampering.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
an ionizing-radiation-sensitive optical nanostructure;
an optical radiation source that delivers an optical interrogation beam to the optical nanostructure; and
an optical receiver that receives at least a portion of the optical interrogation beam from the optical nanostructure and provides an estimate of an ionizing-radiation dose based on the received portion;
wherein the optical interrogation beam includes optical radiation at a plurality of wavelengths and the optical receiver is situated to receive reflected, transmitted, or scattered optical radiation from the ionizing-radiation-sensitive nanostructure and provide the estimate of the ionizing-radiation dose based on a reflectance change as a function of wavelength.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical receiver is coupled to a display device that displays the estimated ionizing-radiation dose.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ionizing-radiation-sensitive optical nanostructure comprises a plurality of oriented nanoshells.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the ionizing-radiation-sensitive optical nanostructure further comprises an ionizing-radiation-sensitive layer in contact with the plurality of oriented nanoshells.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of oriented nanoshells is situated in the ionizing-radiation-sensitive layer.
6. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of nanoshells is ionizing-radiation sensitive.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the nanoshells include at least one ionizing-radiation-sensitive shell layer.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ionizing-radiation-sensitive nanostructure includes a nanomesh.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the nanomesh is a metallic nanomesh.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the ionizing-radiation-sensitive nanostructure includes an ionizing-radiation-sensitive layer in contact with the nanomesh.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the ionizing-radiation-sensitive layer is a polymer layer or a metal oxide layer.
12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the ionizing-radiation-sensitive nanostructure includes an ionizing radiation-sensitive material in voids in the nanomesh.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a tamper-indicating film, comprising:
the ionizing-radiation-sensitive optical nanostructure; and
a substrate coupled to the optical nanostructure, wherein the substrate is configured to dimensionally change in response to a mechanical disturbance and to change one or more optical properties of the optical nanostructure based on the dimensional change, wherein the change of the one or more optical properties provides a tamper indication that is detectable visually or with the optical interrogation beam.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the optical nanostructure is a nanomesh or a plurality of nanoshells.
15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the optical nanostructure defines an irregular nanostructure pattern.
16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the optical nanostructure is defined by a plurality of irregularly situated templates.
17. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a sealing layer that contains the optical nanostructure.
18. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising an encapsulating layer so that the optical nanostructure is at least partially encapsulated by the encapsulating layer.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the optical nanostructure includes silver, and further comprises encapsulated sulfur in the encapsulating layer.
20. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the optical nanostructure includes an ionizing-radiation-sensitive layer.
21. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the change in one or more optical properties includes a reorientiation of emission axes of the optical nanostructure.
22. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the substrate includes a strain-sensitive layer that is configured to strain to record the dimensional change.
23. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical receiver determines whether the nanostructure has been tampered with based on the received portion.
24. An apparatus, comprising:
an ionizing-radiation-sensitive optical nanostructure;
an optical radiation source that delivers an optical interrogation beam to the optical nanostructure; and
an optical receiver that receives at least a portion of the optical interrogation beam from the optical nanostructure and provides an estimate of an ionizing-radiation dose based on the received portion;
wherein the optical interrogation beam is configured to produce optical beam portions having at least two different states of polarization, and the optical receiver provides the estimate of the ionizing-radiation dose based on received optical radiation as a function of the at least two different states of polarization.
25. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the optical interrogation beam includes optical radiation at a plurality of wavelengths and the optical receiver is situated to receive reflected, transmitted, or scattered optical radiation from the ionizing-radiation-sensitive nanostructure and provide the estimate of the ionizing-radiation dose based on a reflectance change as a function of wavelength.
26. An apparatus, comprising:
an ionizing-radiation-sensitive optical nanostructure;
an optical radiation source that delivers an optical interrogation beam to the optical nanostructure; and
an optical receiver that receives at least a portion of the optical interrogation beam from the optical nanostructure and provides an estimate of an ionizing-radiation dose based on the received portion;
wherein the ionizing-radiation-sensitive optical nanostructure includes a plurality of templates that contain the ionizing-radiation-sensitive material.
27. The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the optical interrogation beam includes optical radiation at a plurality of wavelengths and the optical receiver provides the estimate of the ionizing-radiation dose based on received optical radiation as a function of wavelength.
28. The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the templates comprise a polymer or a metal oxide.
29. A method, comprising:
directing an optical interrogation beam to a nanostructure;
receiving a portion of the optical radiation from the nanostructure; and
determining an ionizing-radiation dose based on the received portion.
30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the nanostructure is a nanomesh or a plurality of nanoshells.
31. The method of claim 29 , further comprising determining whether the nanostructure has been tampered with based on the received portion.
32. A method, comprising:
measuring optical radiation received from at least one tag that is applied to an object at a plurality of wavelengths, the tag including a nanostructure; and
based on the received optical radiation, determining an exposure by the tag to a stimulus that corresponds to a change in a material property associated with the nanostructure; wherein the determining an exposure to a stimulus includes, based on the received optical radiation, determining an estimate of an ionizing-radiation dose received by the tag.
33. The method of claim 32 , wherein the determining an exposure to a stimulus includes, based on the received optical radiation, determining if the object has been tampered with.
34. The method of claim 33 , further wherein the at least one tag matches a visual appearance of at least one surface area of the object so as to be at least partially concealed.
35. The method of claim 33 , further comprising determining if the object has been tampered with based on oxidation of at least a portion of the nanostructure.
36. The method of claim 33 , wherein the nanostructure is a plurality of nanoshells or a nanomesh.
37. The method of claim 33 , wherein the object is determined to have been tampered with without apparent visual change of the applied tags.
38. The method of claim 33 , wherein the received optical radiation is detected at a plurality of wavelengths, and tampering is detected based on a principal component analysis of the optical power of the received optical radiation at the plurality of wavelengths.
39. The method of claim 32 , wherein the nanostructure includes one or more layers that is ionizing-radiation-sensitive and tamper-sensitive.
40. The method of claim 33 , wherein the determining an exposure to a stimulus includes, based on the received optical radiation, determining an estimate of an ionizing-radiation dose received by the tag.