Year
2000
Abstract
Neutron multiplicity counting (NMC) was developed as a rapid, nondestructive assay method for the passive measurement of plutonium in various forms. The method is in use internationally by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to measure plutonium from the nuclear fuel cycle in Japan and to measure excess weapons plutonium in the United States. It is also used for domestic safeguards in the United States, Europe, and Russia. Recently NMC has been proposed for use in arms control verifications, specifically to determine if the mass of a plutonium-bearing object is above or below a specified threshold. The method has been proposed for use in the Trilateral Initiative, the Plutonium Production Reactor Agreement, and the Russian Fissile Material Transparency Initiative. These proposed verifications are of classified weapons components or plutonium materials with classified isotopic composition. In this paper, we will review the factors that make NMC well-suited for use in transparency initiatives. We will also discuss other measurement information that NMC can provide that may prove valuable in transparency initiatives.