Analytical Atomic Spectrometry for Nuclear Forensics

Abstract

Abstract Millions of radioactive sources exist around the world, usually distributed among nuclear power plants, medical radiotherapy facilities, and industrial irradiators. Unfortunately, the radioactive materials housed in these places are often under inadequate control, and therefore susceptible to theft by terrorists. The appalling events of September 11, 2001, spawned a major international initiative to strengthen security for such materials and facilities worldwide. The resulting new field of nuclear forensics employs many analytical spectrometric techniques to ensure that these sources are safe, and also to track them in the event that they succumb to theft or sabotage. The most common techniques associated with this field include RIMS, SIMS, TIMS, AMS, GDMS, ICP‐MS, LA‐ICP‐MS, EDX, electron microscopy and gamma spectrometry. Trace or ultratrace determination of radionuclides, and the practical applications reported for these techniques are summarized in this review with 136 references. Instrumentation and analytical figures of merit are briefly reviewed, and recent applications are discussed. Keywords: Nuclear forensicsmass spectrometryinductively coupled plasmagamma‐ray spectrometrylaser ablation Acknowledgments This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation and the Intelligence Technology Innovation Center through the joint "Approaches to Combat Terrorism" Program Solicitation NSF 03‐569 (CHE‐0346353). XH is grateful for the financial support from the Department of Science and Technology of Sichuan Province of China through Grant No. JS02SQ02 and Ministry of Education of China through Grant No. JS2003‐3‐2yq.