
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Nuclear Forensics
Nuclear forensics is a key component of the LANL mission
Contact Us
- Group Leader
- Craig Taylor
- Deputy Group Leader
- Alice Slemmons
- Deputy Group Leader
- Lance Green
- Group Office
- (505) 667-4087
AAC supports nuclear forensics in a variety of ways
Nuclear forensics aids in the prevention of nuclear terrorism, and failing that, enabling the rapid attribution of a nuclear event. C-AAC supports through collection, analysis and evaluation of radiological and nuclear material in both pre-detonation and post-detonation scenarios. The group is vital to the Laboratory’s status as a DHS National Technical Nuclear Forensics Hub Laboratory.
LANL was designated a hub-laboratory for pre-detonation nuclear forensics in 2010 and has more recently been accredited for bulk nuclear material analysis, in accordance with the international standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005.
Analytical methods used: controlled potential coulometry, ICP-AES, gamma/beta/alpha spectrometry, TIMS, IDMS, ICPMS, DC-Arc, XRF, XRD, SEM, spectrophotometry.
- C-AAC provides analyses and directs other LANL contributors in demonstrating the capability to extract plutonium from sealed radioactive sources for forensic characterization.