Addressing Attribution - Advances in Nuclear Forensics

Nuclear forensics is a discipline in science that exploits information which is inherent to nuclear material. As nuclear material is an industrial product, the respective production process will unavoidably leave a "fingerprint" in the material. In consequence, parameters related to process and source material are measured and conclusions about the history and origin of the nuclear material can be drawn. Chemical impurities, microstructure, molecular structure or isotopic composition are examples of such parameters, which compose a characteristic "signature" Today's safeguards and non-proliferation tools need to be adapted to the increasing challenges and therefore more comprehensive verification regime is desired. The analysis of samples of nuclear material remains the backbone of safeguards. Measurement results, obtained in the field or in the laboratory, provide a solid and objective basis for drawing safeguards conclusions. Yet, as known from nuclear forensic studies, nuclear materials contain much more information than what has been exploited for safeguards purposes so far. Thus, the technical capabilities developed for nuclear forensics can also be applied to answer questions related to safeguards. In this paper the latest advancements in nuclear forensics are reviewed and their applicability for nuclear safeguards is discussed. This includes the introduction of new signatures, where the usefulness has been demonstrated in real nuclear forensic investigations.

LUETZENKIRCHEN Klaus;  MAYER Klaus;  WALLENIUS Maria;  VARGA Zsolt; 

2013-08-20

ESARDA-INMM

JRC68841

https://esarda.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=243,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC68841,