US develops method to spot illegal nuclear material origins in 30 mins

Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have developed a new method to rapidly identify the origins of illegal nuclear material within 30 minutes using a relatively simple instrument—a mass spectrometer. This advancement is significant given the increasing incidents of nuclear material falling outside regulatory control, as reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including cases linked to trafficking and malicious use. The method employs a Laser Ablation Laser Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer that uses two lasers to break down a sample into smaller molecules, which are then analyzed by molecular weight to determine the material’s constituents and trace chemical "barcodes" embedded during nuclear fuel synthesis. In tests using known fuel samples from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the researchers successfully identified expected chemical tags such as molybdenum, nickel, and tungsten, as well as additional elements like zirconium and yttrium from the ceramic materials used in fuel preparation. While this rapid technique is not intended to replace existing forensic methods used in legal contexts