Cadets Raymond Cole-Machuca, Scott Nieboer, and Colin Sullivan presented their work on Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for Nuclear Forensics Applications. The LIBS system will be used to evaluate the potential application of LIBS for in-situ debris analysis for post-detonation nuclear forensics. The Army's 20th CBRNE Command with other government agencies collect debris from a nuclear explosion then ship to various national laboratories for time intensive radiochemical analysis. The long-term goal of this project is to determine if LIBS can analyze the debris at the collection site and provide needed data more rapidly to the nuclear forensics process. The major components of the LIBS system (Nd:YAG laser and high resolution spectrometer) were recently refurbished and the system needed to be reassembled and tested. The cadets reassembled the system, learned how to use difficult control software, collect spectra for various elements, and match the experimental data to the know spectral lines of cobalt, copper and iron. Next semester the students will compare the LIBS spectra from Trinitite (debris from first US nuclear weapon test) and a surrogate material produced by the University of Tennessee to replicate Trinitite. The work is sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency through the Nuclear Science and Engineering Research Center (NSERC) and the Army Research Laboratory through the Photonics Research Center (PRC).
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