Development of a position-sensitive muon detector for heritage science applications

The discovery of x rays in the 19^th century transformed our view of the internal structure of objects. A similarly transformative tool is offered by muon radiography (muography) which uses naturally occurring muon particles (±µ, m(±µ) = 105.6 MeVc^-2). Muons are produced by the bombardment of nuclei in the atmosphere by high-energy particles of astrophysical origin (‘cosmic rays’) and possess a potent penetrability in matter due to their high energy. Muography has found a diverse set of applications within security, nuclear safety and buildings archaeology. In particular, the detection of areas of low density within large stone buildings is well-suited to muography and can contribute to our understanding of built heritage when interpreted appropriately and combined with other remote-sensing technologies. The technique is also non-destructive. In transmission muography, image contrast is determined by the relative attenuation of muons in different materials while knowledge of the muon trajectory allows the target object to be resolved in 2 (and sometimes 3) dimensions. The design and intended application of a compact, portable muon detector at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) will be discussed, including preliminary data from lab experiments examining the position sensitivity of scintillator detectors.