Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Proximal Policy Optimization for Radiation Source Search

Version 1 : Received: 31 July 2021 / Approved: 2 August 2021 / Online: 2 August 2021 (11:14:24 CEST)

How to cite: Proctor, P.; Teuscher, C.; Hecht, A.; Osiński, M. Proximal Policy Optimization for Radiation Source Search. Preprints 2021, 2021080018. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202108.0018.v1 Proctor, P.; Teuscher, C.; Hecht, A.; Osiński, M. Proximal Policy Optimization for Radiation Source Search. Preprints 2021, 2021080018. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202108.0018.v1

Abstract

Rapid search and localization for nuclear sources can be an important aspect in preventing human harm from illicit material in dirty bombs or from contamination. In the case of a single mobile radiation detector, there are numerous challenges to overcome such as weak source intensity, multiple sources, background radiation, and the presence of obstructions, i.e., a non-convex environment. In this work, we investigate the sequential decision making capability of deep reinforcement learning in the nuclear source search context. A novel neural network architecture (RAD-A2C) based on the actor critic (A2C) framework and a particle filter gated recurrent unit for localization is proposed. Performance is studied in a randomized 20 x 20 m convex and non-convex environment across a range of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)s for a single detector and single source. RAD-A2C performance is compared to both an information-driven controller that uses a bootstrap particle filter and to a gradient search (GS) algorithm. We find that the RAD-A2C has comparable performance to the information-driven controller across SNR in a convex environment and at lower computational complexity per action. The RAD-A2C far outperforms the GS algorithm in the non-convex environment with greater than 95% median completion rate for up to seven obstructions.

Supplementary and Associated Material

Keywords

deep reinforcement learning; source search and localization; active search; gamma radiation; source parameter estimation; sequential decision making; non-convex environment}

Subject

Physical Sciences, Radiation and Radiography

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