The Use of SIMS and SEM for the Characterization of Individual Particles with a Matrix Originating from a Nuclear Weapon
The application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) for characterization of mixed plutonium and uranium particles from nuclear weapons material is presented. The particles originated from the so-called Thule accident in Greenland in 1968. Morphological pr...
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Oxford University Press (OUP)
2007
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1431927607070353 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S1431927607070353 |
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croxfordunivpr:10.1017/s1431927607070353 2024-04-28T08:22:03+00:00 The Use of SIMS and SEM for the Characterization of Individual Particles with a Matrix Originating from a Nuclear Weapon Ranebo, Ylva Eriksson, Mats Tamborini, Gabriele Niagolova, Nedialka Bildstein, Olivier Betti, Maria 2007 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1431927607070353 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S1431927607070353 en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Microscopy and Microanalysis volume 13, issue 3, page 179-190 ISSN 1431-9276 1435-8115 Instrumentation journal-article 2007 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1017/s1431927607070353 2024-04-09T07:57:23Z The application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) for characterization of mixed plutonium and uranium particles from nuclear weapons material is presented. The particles originated from the so-called Thule accident in Greenland in 1968. Morphological properties have been studied by SEM and two groups were identified: a “popcorn” structure and a spongy structure. The same technique, coupled with an energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometer, showed a heterogeneous composition of Pu and U in the surface layers of the particles. The SIMS depth profiles revealed a varying isotopic composition indicating a heterogeneous mixture of Pu and U in the original nuclear weapons material itself. The depth distributions agree with synchrotron-radiation-based μ-XRF (X-ray fluorescence microprobe) measurements on the particle (Eriksson, M., Wegryzynek, D., Simon, R., & Chinea-Cano, E., in prep.) when a SIMS relative sensitivity factor for Pu to U of 6 is assumed. Different SIMS identified isotopic ratio groups are presented, and the influence of interferences in the Pu and U mass range are estimated. The study found that the materials are a mixture of highly enriched 235 U ( 235 U: 238 U ratio from 0.96 to 1.4) and so-called weapons grade Pu ( 240 Pu: 239 Pu ratio from 0.028 to 0.059) and confirms earlier work reported in the literature. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Thule Oxford University Press Microscopy and Microanalysis 13 3 179 190 |
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Instrumentation Ranebo, Ylva Eriksson, Mats Tamborini, Gabriele Niagolova, Nedialka Bildstein, Olivier Betti, Maria The Use of SIMS and SEM for the Characterization of Individual Particles with a Matrix Originating from a Nuclear Weapon |
topic_facet |
Instrumentation |
description |
The application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) for characterization of mixed plutonium and uranium particles from nuclear weapons material is presented. The particles originated from the so-called Thule accident in Greenland in 1968. Morphological properties have been studied by SEM and two groups were identified: a “popcorn” structure and a spongy structure. The same technique, coupled with an energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometer, showed a heterogeneous composition of Pu and U in the surface layers of the particles. The SIMS depth profiles revealed a varying isotopic composition indicating a heterogeneous mixture of Pu and U in the original nuclear weapons material itself. The depth distributions agree with synchrotron-radiation-based μ-XRF (X-ray fluorescence microprobe) measurements on the particle (Eriksson, M., Wegryzynek, D., Simon, R., & Chinea-Cano, E., in prep.) when a SIMS relative sensitivity factor for Pu to U of 6 is assumed. Different SIMS identified isotopic ratio groups are presented, and the influence of interferences in the Pu and U mass range are estimated. The study found that the materials are a mixture of highly enriched 235 U ( 235 U: 238 U ratio from 0.96 to 1.4) and so-called weapons grade Pu ( 240 Pu: 239 Pu ratio from 0.028 to 0.059) and confirms earlier work reported in the literature. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ranebo, Ylva Eriksson, Mats Tamborini, Gabriele Niagolova, Nedialka Bildstein, Olivier Betti, Maria |
author_facet |
Ranebo, Ylva Eriksson, Mats Tamborini, Gabriele Niagolova, Nedialka Bildstein, Olivier Betti, Maria |
author_sort |
Ranebo, Ylva |
title |
The Use of SIMS and SEM for the Characterization of Individual Particles with a Matrix Originating from a Nuclear Weapon |
title_short |
The Use of SIMS and SEM for the Characterization of Individual Particles with a Matrix Originating from a Nuclear Weapon |
title_full |
The Use of SIMS and SEM for the Characterization of Individual Particles with a Matrix Originating from a Nuclear Weapon |
title_fullStr |
The Use of SIMS and SEM for the Characterization of Individual Particles with a Matrix Originating from a Nuclear Weapon |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Use of SIMS and SEM for the Characterization of Individual Particles with a Matrix Originating from a Nuclear Weapon |
title_sort |
use of sims and sem for the characterization of individual particles with a matrix originating from a nuclear weapon |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1431927607070353 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S1431927607070353 |
genre |
Greenland Thule |
genre_facet |
Greenland Thule |
op_source |
Microscopy and Microanalysis volume 13, issue 3, page 179-190 ISSN 1431-9276 1435-8115 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s1431927607070353 |
container_title |
Microscopy and Microanalysis |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
179 |
op_container_end_page |
190 |
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1797583971241951232 |