233U/236U signature allows to distinguish environmental emissions of civil nuclear industry from weapons fallout
The dominant emission sources of anthropogenic radionuclides come from either atmospheric nuclear weapons tests or the nuclear industry (i.e., reprocessing plants or reactor accidents). Here, the authors identify a new environmental isotope tracer ($$^{233}$$ 233 U/$$^{236}$$ 236 U) which can help d...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Publishing Group
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15008-2 |
| Summary: | The dominant emission sources of anthropogenic radionuclides come from either atmospheric nuclear weapons tests or the nuclear industry (i.e., reprocessing plants or reactor accidents). Here, the authors identify a new environmental isotope tracer ($$^{233}$$ 233 U/$$^{236}$$ 236 U) which can help distinguish emissions from nuclear weapons tests, and can also provide constraints on past weapon designs and fuel sources, for which many details remain classified or lost. |
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| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |