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Design and Operation of the U.S. Radionuclide Noble Gas Laboratory for the CTBTO

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Abstract

The International Monitoring System includes a network of radionuclide detectors operated around the world monitoring for nuclear explosions. A key aspect of the International Monitoring System is the verification of the results from the stations. The verification comes through calibration of the systems, and additional validation measurements from certified laboratories. In support of the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, there are 16 radionuclide laboratories around the world (with a subset of those laboratories having radioxenon measurement capabilities). We have developed a laboratory system for processing and measuring the radioxenon archive samples from the International Monitoring System. In this paper we describe the design and operation of the laboratory in support of verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support of the Defense Theat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Nuclear Arms Control Technology (NACT) Program, U.S. Department of Defense, for funding this work. Any subjective views or opinions expressed in the paper do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Defense or the United States Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA

    Michael Foxe, Theodore Bowyer, Ian Cameron, Matthew Cooper, James Hayes, Lance Lidey, Michael Mayer, Jennifer Mendez & Johnathan Slack

  2. University of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Derek Haas

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  1. Michael Foxe
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  2. Theodore Bowyer
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  3. Ian Cameron
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Correspondence to Michael Foxe.

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Foxe, M., Bowyer, T., Cameron, I. et al. Design and Operation of the U.S. Radionuclide Noble Gas Laboratory for the CTBTO. Pure Appl. Geophys. 178, 2741–2752 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-020-02591-0

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