Open AccessNuclear test criterion by inert gas xenon
Author(s) -
Wu Huailong,
Gong Jian,
Wei Li,
Qian Wang,
Changfan Zhang,
Xiong Zong-Hua,
Chu Cheng-Sheng,
Decheng Tian
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
wuli xuebao
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 47
ISSN - 1000-3290
DOI - 10.7498/aps.62.242802
Subject(s) - nuclide , xenon , plutonium , nuclear engineering , nuclear physics , inert gas , nuclear test , leakage (economics) , neutron , nuclear reactor , materials science , physics , engineering , radioactive fallout , economics , composite material , macroeconomics
It is an important approach to preventing nuclear proliferation that comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty is reached. How to judge whether a nuclear test has happened is a key point. In this paper we investigate a method to distinguish between a nuclear test and leakage from civilian nuclear reactor by measuring inert gas xenon nuclides 133mXe, 133Xe, 135Xe, and 131mXe. The distinction between the nuclear test and the reactor leakage is found by analyzing the variation of nuclide quantity with time in a complex decay chain. Two suspicious events in North Korea are measured and analyzed. In order to verify the theoretical results, an experiment of imitating plutonium irradiated by thermal neutron is designed.