In the high-stakes world of preventing governments from secretly developing atom bombs, the ability of inspectors to check what happens inside a reactor core — without stepping foot inside the highly radioactive structure — is a holy grail.
For many decades, International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have used cameras and close inspections to ensure operators are not diverting spent nuclear fuel for illicit uses.
A new study in Physical Review Letters by researchers of the ‘Double Chooz’ Collaboration in France has reported a breakthrough in this domain. The team has reported the first measurement of the signature of particles emitted by spent nuclear fuel, which a detector can detect even from a distance.
What is nuclear waste and what are the challenges of handling it? | Explained
Remotely verify
