Anomaly Detection in Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) Neutron Die-Away Curves
The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) is a neutron spectrometer onboard Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity. In active mode, DAN emits neutrons and acquires time profiles of neutrons at specific energies in order to measure the geochemistry of the soil under the rover up to a depth of 60 cm. These measurements are particularly sensitive to hydrogen and neutron absorbers such as chlorine and iron. In this work, we are developing methods for automatically identifying DAN observations that measure anomalous geochemistries (e.g., high silica or high hydrogen) for scientists to review and plan follow-up observations of potentially interesting science targets. Co-investigators: Dr. Craig Hardgrove (ASU) and Sean Czarnecki (ASU). Research paper in preparation.