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Published on: December 14, 2017
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Review of current nuclear fallout codes
Jerrad P Auxier1, John D Auxier2, Howard L Hall2
1Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States; Radiochemistry Center of Excellence (RCOE), University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States; Institute for Nuclear Security, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States; Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87544, United States.
Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
|March 25, 2017
Summary
Developing effective nuclear forensics programs is crucial for national security. This paper reviews fallout-analysis codes to improve governmental response to nuclear or chemical detonations.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear forensics
- Radiological and nuclear security
- Explosive event analysis
Background:
- Illicit use of nuclear material poses a significant threat.
- Government agencies require tools to manage public safety and response.
- Improvised nuclear devices (INDs) necessitate advanced threat assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing fallout-analysis codes.
- To compare codes for predicting fallout from nuclear and chemical weapons.
- To inform the development of more effective nuclear forensics programs.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of fallout-analysis codes.
- Categorization of codes based on weapon type (nuclear vs. chemical).
- Analysis of code capabilities in predicting particle size, dose, and dispersion.
Main Results:
- Multiple fallout-analysis codes have been developed by government agencies.
- Codes vary in their predictive capabilities for different detonation scenarios.
- A comprehensive review aids in understanding the current state of the technology.
Conclusions:
- Reviewing fallout-analysis codes is essential for enhancing nuclear forensics.
- Improved understanding of these codes can decrease governmental response times.
- Further development and validation of these codes are critical for national security.
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