Pursuing standards strategies in nuclear forensics: investigating extraction of progeny uranium in CRM-126a as a quality control material in Pu–U chronometry

Abstract

Parent–progeny isotope relationships provide critical signatures in forensic efforts designed to determine the history of interdicted nuclear materials. Unfortunately, there is substantial need for new standards and QC strategies yielding confidence in such chronometric measurements. Here, we investigate the initial isolation of progeny uranium in certified reference material-126a for use as a precision comparator in a thermal ionization mass spectrometry-based QC strategy seeking to provide improved uncertainties in isotopic and chronometric measurements for nuclear materials containing elevated U-236, such as plutonium. Application to real-world Pu either preserved or improved upon uncertainties associated with key parent–daughter ratios and further constrained associated chronometric windows.