Q As.pdf

No. Question DNDO Response

Regarding HSHQDC-13-R-B0002 and HSHQDC-13-R-B0001:

We are a UARC affiliated with an academic institution, whose defined core competencies fall within the CFP and BAA subject areas. Is it allowable for the UARC and the academic instittuion to submit identical White Papers under both or does DHS DNDO prefer we submit only to one?

DNDO would prefer only one. If submitting as a UARC, submit following the guidance in the CFP. If submitting as an academic institution, submit following the guidance in the

BAA.

RTA-06 mentions the development of "active interrogation" systems but appears to only seek component and/or enabling technology development for photon-based radiography systems by noting that avoiding neutron production within both the source and scanned environment is a consideration. Does this mean that RTA-06 is not interested in the development of systems that use neutron and/or gamma-rays for the detection of special nuclear material by stimulating fission in said material?

This topic is seeking supporting technology that enables radiographic and active detection of SNM even under conditions of extremely attenuating rail cargos.

Enabling research supporting neutron radiography/interrogation or other concepts that can meet the requirements of this topic could be considered.

Is it correct to say that scintillation materials that support neutron detection but provide gamma energy resolution poorer than 20% are not of interest under RTA-02? Correct

Is RTA-03 geared only at novel developments of the readout devices themselves, or also in novel ways to use such readout devices to readout scintillators? Using the example of silicon photomultipliers: are you interested only in novel silicon photomultipliers, or are you equally interested in innovative ways to mate scintillators with silicon multipliers, thereby achieving substantially better performance?

As requested in the BAA, "Proposals should also consider how the proposed approach will optimize light collection from scintillator materials to include means of effective optical coupling."

Under RTA-03, would an actual product prototype that successfully uses COTS silicon photomultipliers to achieve significant performance increases compared to the state of the art be of interest?

This is a solicitation for research with the goal of improving light collection and processing from scintillator materials. Although development of a proof-of-concept prototype may be an aspect of this research, the research should proceed in a phased approach as discussed in section 3.1 of the BAA.

Is it correct to say that active interrogation technologies involving neutron generators are explicitly excluded from RTA-06? No. See response for question 2.

In RTA-02 the BAA asks for low-cost scintillators as a topic, and RTA-01 asks for higher-performance semiconductors as another topic. To which topic would a higher-performance Scintillator be appropriately submitted? Or alternatively, a low-cost semiconductor?

High performance scintillators that have low cost may be submitted under topic RTA-2.

Low cost semiconductor materials with high performance may be submitted under RTA- 1.

In RTA-03 the BAA asks for new read-out devices for scintillators as a topic, and RTA-01 asks for higher-performance semiconductors as another topic. To which topic would a new read-out device for semiconductors be appropriately submitted?

Read-out electronics for semiconductor detectors are not encompassed by either RTA-1 or RTA-3.

Are you soliciting the development of neutron generators and/or active interrogation systems based on neutron generators? If so, under what Exploratory Research Topic?

There is no specific topic to solicit developing neutron generators. See response for question 2. Offerors wishing to submit a novel concept not specific to a topic should submit it against the topic most aligned to the proposed research activity.

Questions for BAA13-101 and CFP13-100: Exploratory Research

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