PORTABLE OPTICALLY STIMULATED LUMINESCENCE DETECTOR FOR NUCLEAR COMPLIANCE APPLICATIONS

We describe a portable Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) detector with applications to nuclear safeguards verification. The Portable OSL Detector (POD) is capable of analysing small samples of material or directly measuring the OSL signal from surfaces in a facility in order to measure stored radiation dose in that material. The design of the newly developed POD and results of recent tests of the POD’s ability to detect exposure to special nuclear material will be presented. We show how the OSL technique and the newly-developed portable OSL detector have the capability to provide IAEA inspectors with a novel in-situ tool to assess past storage locations of radiological or nuclear materials long after these materials have been removed, thus providing information that could prove invaluable to safeguards investigations.