Illicit trafficking of nuclear material has been a subject of concern since the first seizures of nuclear material were reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency in the beginning of the 1990s. In South Africa cases of illegal trafficking of nuclear materials has been reported to the South African Police Services (SAPS). The aim of this study was to determine whether the lanthanides...
Fourier-tranformation Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) is an analytical method used to determine the infrared spectrum of the absorption, emission, photoconductive or Raman-scattering of solid, liquid or gaseous substances. Therefore FTIR allows the determination of the chemical composition or the molecular structure of substances, therefore it can be considered as a suitable technique for origin...
Technical Summary
For nearly two decades, the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has sponsored nuclear forensics collaboration between the United States and partner countries in the field of radiochronometry – the science of age dating nuclear material. This collaborative research is currently managed by the DOE/NNSA Office of Nuclear Smuggling...
Introduction
Nuclear materials are subject to strict verification by the international nuclear safeguards. However, the IAEA’s Incident and Trafficking Database records year by year cases where such a material is found out of regulatory control. Such an interception is typically followed by a comprehensive analysis of the material in order to provide hints on its intended use and potential...
