Hyper-Spectral Room-Scale Imaging for Complementary Access

Complementary access (CA) under the Additional Protocol (AP) is an opportunity for InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to both resolve questions about a State’s declaration ofits nuclear fuel cycle related activities and material as well as verify absence of such undeclaredmaterial and associated activities. One of the key challenges for inspectors during a CA visit is todetermine the best locations for a detailed investigation and deployment of high sensitivitytechniques and equipment such as environmental sampling and tools from an expanded CAToolkit. Currently deployed testing equipment displays significant limitations regarding speed andsensitivity of sampling, ease of use, and the ability to effectively scan room-scale spaces forevidence of noncompliant operations. The addition of a portable, spectral imaging (SI) tool couldpotentially provide near-real-time, in-field guidance to inspectors as to where to focus theirinvestigations. In this study, four relevant instruments, each based on different SI technology, weresurveyed and tested to answer vital questions such as whether SI is a suitable technique for useduring CA, i.e. whether spectral imaging can be used for the detection, identification anddiscrimination of proliferation indicators in environments typically encountered during CA.