Nuclear Forensics: The First Two Decades

The use of the terms Nuclear Forensics and Nuclear Smuggling began in the early 1990s with the reporting of finds of nuclear material by law enforcement agencies and subsequent court cases. In the beginning scientists with the relevant skills were contacted by law enforcement agencies to provide them with the evidence to obtain a conviction in the court cases. In the years since more formal working partnerships have developed between the law enforcers and the scientific community to bring Nuclear Forensics practices in line with other scientific disciplines presenting evidence in court. There have been notable advances in the scientific techniques applied to nuclear forensics, and how the international nuclear forensic community has cooperated, both within itself and with the law enforcers. This document outlines the building blocks that nuclear forensics had available to build upon, and how it has progressed and developed in the last two decades. Examples are given of developments in international cooperation and technical progress. (author)