Handheld Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) techniques have recently gained increased interest in the nuclear forensics community. The performance of such a device in a recent international nuclear forensics exercise will be discussed as well as recent work to determine its ability to detect and quantify Gallium content in Cerium-Gallium alloys. Cerium is a common chemical surrogate for Plutonium. Hence, these results could be further adapted for quantitative analysis of Gallium concentrations and distributions in plutonium-gallium alloys. The handheld device settings were optimized to enhance the gallium signal, and a certified set of samples with varying gallium concentrations were used to develop calibration curves. Multiple chemometric techniques for calibration curve development were attempted and compared.

Characterization of impurities in gallium alloys via laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

2019 Fall National Meeting

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