Carbon camera detection of vehicular-transported bulk narcotics

We describe a nuclear technique, the carbon camera, with which we have produced images of elemental carbon in concentrations and with surface densities typical in kilo quantities of narcotics. The signal is all high-energy gamma rays detected in a short time interval after irradiation of a target pixel by photons produced with an electron beam. Our carbon marker, the photoproton reaction on the minority carbon isotope, gives a robust signal with no interfering signals. We describe here the physics of the carbon camera and sketch our efforts to develop the technology of a fieldable instrument.