Researchers from the Double Chooz Collaboration in France have achieved the first high-precision measurement of the energy signature of antineutrinos emitted by spent nuclear fuel. This could enable remote monitoring and verification of nuclear facilities.
What are Neutrinos?
Neutrinos are extremely light, electrically neutral subatomic particles that interact very weakly with matter. Because of this weak interaction, enormous numbers of neutrinos can pass through matter and human bodies without being detected.
Antineutrinos from Nuclear Fuel
Nuclear fission produces large quantities of antineutrinos. Importantly, antineutrino emission does not stop immediately when a reactor is shut down.
Radioactive isotopes such as praseodymium-144 and rhodium-106 continue to undergo radioactive decay in partially used and spent nuclear fuel, producing a residual antineutrino flux.
Key Finding
The study detected the residual antineutrino signal associated with both reactor-core fuel and spent fuel. Approximately 56% of the detected signal originated from fuel in reactor cores, while around 44% came from spent fuel stored in nearby cooling pools.
Importance for Nuclear Safeguards
The residual antineutrino signal could provide a non-invasive method of monitoring nuclear fuel. Changes in the measured flux could help inspectors remotely verify spent-fuel inventories, since the clandestine removal of fuel assemblies would potentially reduce the detectable antineutrino signal.
Potential Applications
Antineutrino detection could potentially help estimate plutonium content in reactor cores and monitor fuel use in real time. It could also help identify premature removal of fuel that might be intended for the production of weapons-grade plutonium.
Major Limitation
Current antineutrino detectors are generally large and stationary because substantial shielding is required to reduce cosmic-ray interference. The Double Chooz detector, for example, weighed more than 500 tonnes, including approximately 300 tonnes of shielding.
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