Validation of a Bayesian-based isotope identification algorithm

Handheld radio-isotope identifiers (RIIDs) are widely used in Homeland Security and other nuclear safety applications. However, most commercially available devices have serious problems in their ability to correctly identify isotopes. It has been reported that this flaw is largely due to the overly simplistic identification algorithms on-board the RIIDs. This paper reports on the experimental validation of a new isotope identification algorithm using a Bayesian statistics approach to identify the source while allowing for calibration drift and unknown shielding. We present here results on further testing of this algorithm and a study on the observed variation in the gamma peak energies and areas from a wavelet-based peak identification algorithm.