NUCL 6230 - Nuclear Forensics Technologies, Techniques and Methodologies

This course is focused at potential sources of nuclear forensics in fuel cycle. The steps from uranium ore mining to yellow cake production, UF6, isotope separation, fuel pellet fabrication and fuel element fabrication will be discusses to identify the various points where terrorists are interested in nuclear materials along this processing route of processing routes for medical isotopes for the generation of both dirty bombs and nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Special attention will be given to the analytical chemical methods that can be used to measure the composition of nuclear decay products that would be present after a nuclear terrorism incident to determine the ultimate source of the nuclear materials that were used as well as track the plume of radiation and fall out in the geographical region.