Plutonium and uranium isotopic analysis: recent developments of the MGA++ code suite

摘要

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory develops sophisticated gamma-ray analysis codes for isotopic determinations of nuclear materials based on the principles of the MultiGroup Analysis (MGA). MGA methodology has been upgraded and expanded and is now comprised of a suite of codes known as MGA++. A graphical user interface has also been developed for viewing the data and the fitting procedure. The code suite provides plutonium and uranium isotopic analysis for data collected with high-purity germanium planar and/or coaxial detector systems. The most recent addition to the MGA++ code suite, MGAHI, analyzes Pu data using higher-energy gamma rays (200 keV and higher) and is particularly useful for Pu samples that are enclosed in thick-walled containers. Additionally, the code suite can perform isotopic analysis of uranium spectra collected with cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) detectors. We are currently developing new codes with will integrate into the MGA++ suite. These will include PU isotopic analysis capabilities for data collected with CZT detectors, and U isotopic analysis with high-purity germanium detectos, which utilizes only higher energy gamma rays. Future development of MGA++ will include a capability for isotopic analyses on mixtures of Pu and U.