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Mission

The Ionizing Radiation Division of the Physics Laboratory has the responsibility within NIST for providing national leadership in promoting accurate, meaningful, and compatible measurements of ionizing radiations (x rays, gamma rays, electrons, neutrons, energetic charged particles, and radioactivity). The Division:

• provides primary national standards, dosimetry methods, measurement services, and basic data for application of ionizing radiation to radiation protection of workers and the general public, radiation therapy and diagnosis, nuclear medicine, radiography, industrial radiation processing, nuclear electric power, national defense, space science and environmental protection;

• conducts theoretical and experimental research on weak interaction physics and fundamental quantum physics and on the fundamental physical interactions of ionizing radiation with matter;

• develops improved methods for radiation measurement, dosimetry, and 2- and 3-dimensional mapping of radiation dose distributions;

• develops improved primary radiation standards and produces highly accurate standard reference data for ionizing radiation and radioactive materials;

• provides standard reference materials, calibrations, and measurement-quality-assurance services to users such as hospitals, industry, States and other Federal agencies;

• develops measurement methods and technology for use by the radiation-processing industry, health-care industry, nuclear electric-power industry, environmental technology, and radiation-using industrial applications; and

• develops and operates well-characterized sources and beams of electrons, photons, and neutrons for primary radiation standards, calibrations, research on radiation interactions, and development of measurement methods.

To accomplish these goals, the Division staff interacts widely in the national radiation community in all sectors including industry, State and Federal government, and universities. The Division has strong interactions in the international radiation community through scientific collaborations and committee activities. Division staff members participate in numerous professional societies and on many committees. The Division is collaborating with industrial companies, professional and governmental organizations and interested individuals from the radiation-user community in the programs of the Council on Ionizing Radiation Measurements and Standards (CIRMS).

ORGANIZATION

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"Technical Activities 2000" - Table of Contents