Neutron spectroscopy of plutonium using a handheld detection system.

Autor: Clarke SD; Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 49109, USA. clarkesd@umich.edu., Lopez R; Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 49109, USA., Mozin V; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA., Kerr P; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA., Hutchinson J; Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA., Marleau P; Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA., Pozzi SA; Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 49109, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2024 Jul 26; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 17192. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 26.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68286-x
Abstrakt: The ability to distinguish multiple forms of plutonium from one another, such as oxide and metal, is paramount in areas of nuclear nonproliferation and international safeguards. In its metal form, plutonium can be readily used in a nuclear weapon, while oxide forms are associated with nuclear reactor fuel. Oxide-based plutonium forms emit neutrons with an energy spectrum that is significantly different from the fission neutrons that are emitted from plutonium metal. Organic scintillation detectors output pulses that are proportional to the neutron energy deposited, and therefore present a means of distinguishing these plutonium forms based on their energy spectra. In this work, metal and oxide forms of plutonium were measured using a handheld detection system based on an organic glass scintillator. Monte Carlo modeling of these experiments was performed to provide insight into the origin of the features in the observed light output spectra. Through analysis of multiple regions of these spectra, in a matter of minutes we were able to unambiguously discriminate oxide and metal plutonium forms from one another and from a plutonium-beryllium neutron source, which was considered for comparison because these sources are commonly used in industrial applications. The ability to discriminate weapons-usable material from nuclear reactor fuel has applications in nuclear treaty verification and safeguards.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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