The late Professor David Neely, a STFC Individual Merit Scientist who was a pioneer in experimental High Energy Density Plasmas (HEDP), had a long collaboration history with the Counter Terrorism and Security Division at Dstl, who were interested in novel techniques for stand-off and through-barrier inspection. Together, they developed an innovative technique for ground-penetrating X-ray radar using laser-driven pulses of electrons as the X-ray source.
In collaboration with university scientists, the depth profile imaging technique was demonstrated using the Gemini laser and published in the Journal of X-ray Science and Technology.
Dstl has funded industrial scientists in the CLF appointed to plan and operate of a number of paid-for access experiments using CLF’s high power lasers Vulcan, Gemini, and Astra. Dstl has also funded to the CLF’s latest facilities, EPAC and Vulcan 20-20. Finally they have contributed two EPSRC iCASE studentship projects based at the CLF and registered with University of Strathclyde on the development of penetrating inspection techniques.