Progress, Performance, and Prospects of Ultra-High Resolution Microcalorimeter Spectrometers
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, CO (United States)
- National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, CO (United States); Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
In 2005 the LANL/NIST team used a single high-resolution microcalorimeter detector to measure the gamma-ray spectrum of a plutonium sample. After more than a decade of research and development on this topic, both the technology and our general understanding of its capabilities have advanced greatly, such that a progress review is now timely. We examine the scenario of a large-scale reprocessing plant and conclude that current non-destructive analysis (NDA) methods are inadequate to safeguard such a facility to the desired levels, leading to undesirable dependence on massspectrometry (MS) destructive analysis (DA). The development of microcalorimeter detectors is intended to close the performance gap between NDA and DA methods to address the needs of nuclear facilities.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- OSTI ID:
- 1340975
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR--16-26714
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Implementation of Microcalorimeter Array Technology for Safeguards of Nuclear Material
Safeguards Measurements with Ultra-High Resolution Magnetic Microcalorimeter Radiation Detectors