Novel spectrometric approach to non-destructive characterization of safeguards samples

To improve non-destructive analysis of samples, a device known as Panda has been designed and built. It has two measurement positions operating in a vacuum: one primarily meant for the screening of large-area samples, such as swipes, and the other one for detailed studies of smaller parts of these samples. The measurement position for the initial screening of large samples hosts a double-sided silicon strip detector and a broad energy HPGe detector. These detectors are positioned facing each other and the samples are measured between them. The data produced by the detectors are recorded as time-stamped events. The collected data together with supporting metadata are uploaded into a database for analysis and long-term storage. The present article primarily concentrates on the introduction of the tools and procedures developed for data management and analysis. The capabilities of Panda are demonstrated via the analysis of a large-area swipe sample containing U and Pu. The swipe was provided by the IAEA. The 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio could be correctly determined (0.12 ± 0.03) in the presence of a large amount of 241Am.