Application of LG-SIMS to Uranium Particles Analysis for IAEA Safeguards

In 2010, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Safeguards Analytical Services of the Department of Safeguards took delivery of a large geometry secondary ion mass spectrometer (LG-SIMS), to be dedicated to particle analysis of safeguards environmental samples. Optimization of analysis techniques for this new type of instrument has resulted in significantly more information being gained from environmental samples. The gains reflect improved capabilities to locate rare nuclear signatures in an environmental matrix, higher accuracy and precision of the analyses, especially for 234U and 236U, higher number of particles that can be analysed per sample, and increased sophistication of the data handling to ensure robust uncertainty estimates. This paper gives an overview of these improvements.