Past, Present, and Future - Review of Radiochronometry Collaborations and Challenges

For nearly two decades, the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has sponsored nuclear forensics collaboration between the United States and partner countries in the field of radiochronometry – the science of age dating nuclear material. This collaborative research is currently managed by the DOE/NNSA Office of Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence. Partner countries have included: Armenia, Australia, Canada, China, European Union, France, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea, Romania, and the United Kingdom, and new projects are under development with Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The goal of these partnerships has been to advance radiochronometry capabilities throughout the global forensic community in order to support the investigation of nuclear material found out of regulatory control.