Research Summaries

Back Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Post-Detonation Nuclear Forensics

Fiscal Year 2015
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Physics
Investigator(s) Smith, Craig F.
Sponsor Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DoD)
Summary Isotope ratio measurements of the actinide elements provide essential information for nuclear detonation forensics and proliferation detection. Current techniques for obtaining the ratios require time-consuming sample preparation and separation chemistry. Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry (RIMS) has the potential to provide useful quantification of these isotope ratios within 1 - 2 hours after sample receipt. RIMS is a high-sensitivity, elementally selective, laser-based form of mass spectrometry that offers the potential to determine the isotopic composition of materials without sample preparation and can be applied to almost any element in the periodic table. To date, however, several important questions concerning the application of this technique to the analysis of post-detonation debris remain unexplored. These include the need to optimize experimental methods for the measurement of dilute actinide species in glassy matrices; establishment of appropriate laser systems to measure isotopes of several elements in short time frames; and extension of the RIMS approach to include important actinides such as Np1 Am and Cm. In this proposed project, we propose to implement the RIMS concept for post detonation materials and will incorporate robust tunable lasers improved sample efficiency, and multi-element measurement capabilities. In addition, we will investigate and overcome barriers to field-deployability of RIMS technology.
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Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal