Determination of isotopic ratios of uranium samples using passive gamma spectroscopy with multiple detectors

Abstract

Uranium samples of various enrichments have been passively counted on the University of Texas detector gamma–gamma coincidence system. By observing gamma rays emitted from 235U and its daughters compared to gamma rays emitted by 238U daughters and comparing the data to standards of known enrichments, a technique has been developed to take a uranium sample of unknown enrichment and passively count it to determine its uranium isotopic concentration. Because the gamma rays from 235U are generally in the low-energy regime, there is a strong susceptibility to background interferences, especially from the Compton background produced from higher energy gamma rays. Other interferences, such as those from the decay series of uranium also exist for 235U gamma rays. In this light, we have collected data using list-mode to produce two-dimensional gamma–gamma coincidence spectra, which allows us to gate the low-energy gamma rays from 235U with gamma rays that are in coincidence. In doing this, much of the low energy interferences are reduced, and one can analyze the 235U gamma rays with high precision. Because of the high density of uranium, self-shielding has significant effects especially in the low-energy regime. To correct for this attenuation the detector system has been modeled by MCNP and self-shielding factors have been calculated across the energy spectrum. A big advantage to this method is the capability of performing this analysis with small (<1 g) samples in a non-destructive and relatively inexpensive manner. If necessary, this analysis can be performed within 24 h if an urgent nuclear forensics scenario arises.