Nuclear forensics is the science of determining the history of a sample of radioactive material through the study of the material's characteristics. While nuclear forensic analysis has normally been associated with investigations and prosecutions in the context of trafficking of nuclear materials or nuclear terrorism, it has wider applications in various national security contexts, such as nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament, and arms control.
The New Nuclear Forensics provides a survey and an analysis of the scientific discipline of nuclear forensic analysis, and the way it is applied to specific issues of international peace and security, from the 1940s to the present day. This book describes the various methods used in nuclear forensics, giving first a general introduction to the process followed by details of relevant measurement techniques and procedures. In each case, the advantages and limitations are outlined. It uses a language and methodology that opens the issue of nuclear forensics and its potential applications to a non-specialist readership.
Edited by:
Vitaly Fedchenko (Senior Researcher Senior Researcher SIPRI)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 240mm,
Width: 172mm,
Spine: 27mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9780198736646
ISBN 10: 0198736649
Series: SIPRI Monographs
Pages: 310
Publication Date: 26 March 2015
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
A / AS level
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
1: Vitaly Fedchenko: Introduction: Analysis of Nuclear Materials for Security Purposes Part I. Nuclear Forensic Methods 2: Vitaly Fedchenko: The Process of Nuclear Forensic Analysis Appendix 2A: Sophie Grape: Basic Facts and Definitions Related to Measurements 3: Klaus Mayer, Maria Wallenius, Zsolt Varga, Magnus Hedberg, and Nicole Erdmann: Inorganic Mass Spectrometry as a Tool of Destructive Nuclear Forensic Analysis 4: Sophie Grape: Gamma Spectroscopy as a Tool of Non-destructive Nuclear Forensic Analysis 5: Klaus Mayer, Maria Wallenius, and Zsolt Varga: Sample Characteristics and Nuclear Forensic Signatures 6: Lars-Erik de Geer: Radionuclides and Signatures Relevant for Post-explosion Environments Part II. Nuclear Forensics in Practice 7: Vitaly Fedchenko: The Origins of Nuclear Forensic Analysis I: the United States and the Soviet Union 8: Lars-Erik de Geer: The Origins of Nuclear Forensic Analysis II: analysis of nuclear weapon debris in Sweden Appendix 8A: Lars-Erik de Geer: Detection by Sweden of Chinese Nuclear Tests in the Atmosphere 9: Vitaly Fedchenko and Robert Kelley: Applications of Nuclear Forensic Analysis
Vitaly Fedchenko is a Senior Researcher at SIPRI, where his research focuses on nuclear security issues and the political, technological, and educational dimensions of nuclear arms control and non-proliferation. Previously, he worked at the Center for Policy Studies in Russia (PIR Center) and the Institute for Applied International Research (IAIR), Moscow. His publications include Reforming Nuclear Export Controls: The Future of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, SIPRI Research Report no. 22 (2007, co-author).
