To assay the degradation of high explosives (HE) by a material-loss mechanism, prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA), using a miniature neutron accelerator developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is proposed. Whereas the PGAA signatures from carbon and nitrogen in the chemical matrices are relatively low, fast neutrons may be used due to the higher cross sections for interaction. By using the upgraded PGAA database developed by the Isotope Projects Group at LBNL in collaboration with new PGAA data obtained at the Institute of Isotope and Surface Chemistry in Budapest, Hungary, it should be possible to observe and potentially to quantify a macroscopic loss of mass in HE.

The maintenance of strong scientific expertise is critical to the U.S. nuclear attribution community. It is particularly important to train students in actinide chemistry and physics. Neutron cross-section data are vital components to strategies for detecting explosives and fissile materials, and these measurements require expertise in chemical separations, actinide target preparation, nuclear spectroscopy, and analytical chemistry. At the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory we have trained students in actinide chemistry for many years. LBNL is a leader in nuclear data and has published the Table of Isotopes for over 60 years. Recently, LBNL led an international collaboration to measure thermal neutron capture radiative cross sections and prepared the Evaluated Gamma-ray Activation File (EGAF) in collaboration with the IAEA. This file of 35,000 prompt and delayed gamma ray cross-sections for all elements from Z=1-92 is essential for the neutron interrogation of nuclear materials. LBNL has also developed new, high flux neutron generators and recently opened a 1010 n/s D+D neutron generator experimental facility.