MUON TOMOGRAPHY LAB @ OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE
SUPPORTED BY KOBOLD METALS
Our Lab's Work
Our lab is developing the next generation of imaging technology to scan the Earth for rare mineral deposits using the method of muon tomography. We design and manufacture the hardware and software of our detectors in-house, using computational simulations to inform design decisions. These detectors allow us to build high resolution maps of the density distribution of material up to roughly 300 meters below the surface. Our group is working on an assortment of different detector systems, each optimized for specific use-cases which are determined by environmental factors of the region of land being imaged.
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One of our detectors is set for deployment in a mine in early 2026.
Our Methodology: Muon Tomography
Roughly 100 cosmic ray muons strike any given 1 meter-squared portion of the ground at sea level every second. When these muons pass through the ground, they deposit some of their energy into it and then continue on. Around the middle of the 20th century, physicists realized that this flux of muons could be used for imaging technology, and muon tomography–or muography–was born. Over the years, this technology has been used to scan a variety of structures that would be difficult to non-invasively construct an image of otherwise, ranging from underground caves to the Great Pyramid of Giza. Today, it can be used to search underground for deposits of an element which is in high demand due to its necessity to the construction of batteries in the electric vehicle industry: Lithium.
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Muography is the practice of detecting the "shadow" of cosmic-ray air showers, which are generated when highly energetic particles pass through the atmosphere. These particle showers contain muons, which are detected to construct an image of the material density distribution that the shower passed through as it travelled through the ground. By using information about the difference in density between lithium and the surrounding ground, it is possible to determine where these mineral deposits lie.
My Roles
Research Scientist
Detector Design Optimization
I am leading a project to design and manufacture the next-generation of our surface array cosmic air shower detector system. My work focuses on simplifying the design to reduce cost and assembly time, while maintaining detection efficiency standards, in order to enable cost-effective and efficient production of these units at scale. Our design philosophy begins from the fundamental physics and works its way up to a simple detector that fits into a cohesive array of detectors as a modular unit. At all points in the design process, we balance simplicity with sophistication.
Embedded Software and IoT Network Engineering
I contribute to embedded software for IoT‑enabled detector communication networks which enable a GPS‑based timing DAQ and remote firmware updates to microprocessors. I implemented a procedure for over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates to microprocessors via Wifi, enabling us to send and install remote updates to the microprocessors of the entire detector array, without interrupting the detection process which operates with a timing resolution at the nanosecond scale.
Research Assistant
Hardware and Electronics Assembly, Testing, Debugging, and Deployment
I soldered, tested, and debugged electronic components of our DAQ, including transmitter, receiver, and constant fraction discriminator (CFD) circuit boards that transmit and digitize the raw signal from our detectors.​ I contributed to the assembly and deployment of our borehole detectors and air-shower detectors surface array. This included doing the CAD and 3D-printing of components of the electronics container.
Laboratory Operations and Project Management
​I maintain the laboratory's inventory and help set both short and longterm deadlines.
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