DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: State of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis: highlights from the 4th Collaborative Materials Exercise of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG)

Journal Article · · Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry

The Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) recently completed its fourth Collaborative Materials Exercise (CMX-4) in the 21 year history of the Group. This was also the largest materials exercise to date, with participating laboratories from 16 countries or international organizations. Moreover, exercise samples (including three separate samples of low enriched uranium oxide) were shipped as part of an illicit trafficking scenario, for which each laboratory was asked to conduct nuclear forensic analyses in support of a fictitious criminal investigation. In all, over 30 analytical techniques were applied to characterize exercise materials, for which ten of those techniques were applied to ITWG exercises for the first time. We performed an objective review of the state of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis based upon the outcome of this most recent exercise is provided.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1335873
Journal Information:
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, Journal Name: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 311; ISSN 0236-5731
Publisher:
SpringerCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (1)

NIH Image to ImageJ: 25 years of image analysis journal June 2012

Cited By (3)

Isotopic and Compositional Variations in Single Nuclear Fuel Pellet Particles Analyzed by Nanoscale Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry journal December 2019
Gamma spectrometry in the ITWG CMX-4 exercise journal January 2018
The application of radiochronometry during the 4th collaborative materials exercise of the nuclear forensics international technical working group (ITWG) journal February 2018