High Resolving Power, Broadband Spectroscopy for Nuclear Materials Control

The monitoring of spent nuclear fuel is not only critical to the operational safety of power plants, but also for nuclear materials control and accountability. While radiation sensors may provide measurements of radioactivity, they often lack material selectivity to fully characterize nuclear fuels. New non-radiation sensors are needed, and specifically, sensors that can provide accurate elemental composition of the nuclear materials in a safe manner. Statement of How the Problem Is Being Addressed: Our proposed technology uses a high resolution, broadband spectrograph for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to detect small isotopic shifts in the emission lines of nuclear materials. Characterizing the isotopic shifts allows the content of the nuclear material to be measured without any sample preparation. Measurements can be carried out remotely, reducing any nuclear radiation risks to personnel. Our proposed instrument will measure small isotopic shifts across a broad spectrum, allowing the detection of isotopic shifts where they do not have interferences from the complex spectra associated with actinides. Work to be done in Phase I: In this first phase, we will optimize the optical-mechanical design of the proposed spectrograph to achieve a high resolving power (wavelength/FWHM) across a broad spectral range. The goal of this first phase will be to demonstrate the feasibility of achieving a maximum resolving power of over 200,000 for isotopic analysis of nuclear materials. As part of the feasibility study, we will build a comprehensive database containing the nuclear materials that the instrument will be able to detect and measure once the project is complete. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: This technology may also be used for national security concerning nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation due to the high resolving power and broad spectral bandwidth of the new instrument. Commercial applications include geological exploration and mining, material processing, laser spectroscopy, forensics/provenance, and biomedical and pharmaceutical analyses, such as drug testing. Keywords: Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, LIBS, spent nuclear fuel, isotopic analysis