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Chemical investigation of three plutonium–beryllium neutron sources

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Abstract

Thorough physical and chemical characterization of plutonium–beryllium (PuBe) neutron sources is an important capability with applications ranging from material accountancy to nuclear forensics. Characterization of PuBe sources is not trivial owing to range of existing source designs and the need for adequate infrastructure to deal with radiation and protect the analyst. This study demonstrates a method for characterization of three PuBe sources that includes physical inspection and imaging followed by controlled disassembly and destructive analysis.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, National Technical Nuclear Forensics Center [Grant number HSHQDC-14-X-00028]. This support does not constitute an express or implied endorsement on the part of the Government. This publication is LA-UR-16-2905.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Benjamin Byerly

  2. Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA

    Benjamin Byerly, Kevin Kuhn, Lisa Colletti, Lynn Foster, Russ Keller, Elmer Lujan, Alex Martinez, Donivan Porterfield, Dan Schwartz, Khal Spencer, Floyd Stanley, Mariam Thomas, Lisa Townsend, Ning Xu & Lav Tandon

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  1. Benjamin Byerly
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  2. Kevin Kuhn
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Correspondence to Benjamin Byerly.

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Byerly, B., Kuhn, K., Colletti, L. et al. Chemical investigation of three plutonium–beryllium neutron sources. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 312, 95–104 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-017-5192-3

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