Gamma spectral analysis via neural networks

A system combining a portable gamma-ray spectrometer with a neural network is discussed. In this system, the neural network is used to automatically identify radioactive isotopes in real-time from their gamma-ray spectra. Two neural network paradigms are examined: the linear perceptron and the optimal linear associative memory (OLAM). A comparison of the two paradigms shows that OLAM is superior to linear perceptron for this application. Both networks have a linear response and are useful in determining the composition of an unknown sample when the spectrum of the unknown is a linear superposition of known spectra. One feature of this technique is that it uses the whole spectrum in the identification process instead of only the individual photo-peaks. For this reason, it is potentially more useful for processing data from lower resolution gamma-ray spectrometers. This approach has been successfully tested with data generated by Monte Carlo simulations and with field data from both sodium iodide and germanium detectors. With the neural network approach, the intense computation takes place during the training process. Once the network is trained, normal operation consists of propagating the data through the network, which results in rapid identification of samples in the field. This approach is useful in situations that require fast response but where precise quantification is less important