Enhanced Algorithm Development for Non-Destructive Testing in Radiation-Based Object Detection

This study presents the development of a simplified effective algorithm for localizing a γ-ray source within a model representative of a practical non-destructive testing (NDT) system. A synthetic experimental setup was designed to simulate a con-cealed object scenario. Radiation measurements were collected using a Geiger–Müller counter at 4 × 4 grid points across four accessible surfaces. The acquired count rate data were analyzed using a Maximum Likelihood Estimation algorithm to estimate the γ-ray source position. Across four independent trials, the algorithm accurately localized the source, yielding an absolute error of less than 1% along the Z-axis and approximately 18% in the X and Y axes. These results demonstrate the algorithm’s robustness and its potential to enhance localization capabilities in radiation-based NDT systems.