• 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 the fundamental physical interactions of ionizing radiation with matter;

• operates two user facilities at the NCNR cold neutron guide hall for researchers from industry, universities, and national laboratories on neutron radiography, weak interaction physics, and fundamental quantum phenomena in neutron interferometry;

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

• develops primary standards and transfer standards for radioactive sources used in therapy;

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

Phase Contrast Image: Shown are two different kinds of neutron images of a lead casting. Lead castings are examples of objects in which internal structures are not clearly revealed in either conventional x-ray images or in conventional (contact) neutron radiographs. The Contact Image, which was taken by placing the neutron detector plate directly behind the casting, shows very little contrast. However, in the Phase Contrast Image, which was taken with the detector plate 1.8 m downstream from the casting, the imaging of internal features has been greatly enhanced by wave interference.

• 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 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).