Nuclear Forensic Science: Correlating Measurable Material Parameters to the History of Nuclear Material

Nuclear forensic science, referred to as nuclear forensics, has been defined in as the "analysis of intercepted illicit nuclear or radioactive material and any associated material to provide evidence for nuclear attribution". More recently, nuclear forensics has been described as the "scientific analysis of nuclear or other radioactive material, or of other evidence that is contaminated with radioactive material in the context of legal proceedings, including administrative, civil, criminal or international law". This scientific analysis aims at providing clues on the intended use of the material and on its history, providing investigative leads and possibly leading to a source attribution. Nuclear forensic science relies on principles of and combines methodologies of radiochemistry, nuclear physics, material sciences and other disciplines. Radiochemical principles and radioanalytical techniques play a prominent role within the nuclear forensics toolset. The present review provides an overview of the scientific discipline of nuclear forensics and summarizes the findings presented in published literature giving some emphasis to the area of radiochemistry.