Techniques, apparatus and systems for detecting particles such as muons
and neutrons. In one implementation, a particle detection system employs
a plurality of drift cells, which can be for example sealed gas-filled
drift tubes, arranged on sides of a volume to be scanned to track
incoming and outgoing charged particles, such as cosmic ray-produced
muons. The drift cells can include a neutron sensitive medium to enable
concurrent counting of neutrons. The system can selectively detect
devices or materials, such as iron, lead, gold, uranium, plutonium,
and/or tungsten, occupying the volume from multiple scattering of the
charged particles passing through the volume and can concurrently detect
any unshielded neutron sources occupying the volume from neutrons emitted
therefrom. If necessary, the drift cells can be used to also detect gamma
rays. The system can be employed to inspect occupied vehicles at border
crossings for nuclear threat objects.