PNNL

Introduction

The NNSA’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development (DNN R&D) sponsors several different university consortia with an aim to develop our nation’s technical capabilities and human capital to “improve the detection, identification, and characterization of foreign nuclear weapons development programs; diversion of special nuclear materials; and nuclear detonations.” Each of these consortia is headed up by a lead university with several different collaborating universities supporting them, along with several different national laboratory partners as well.

There are four active consortia – Enabling Technologies and Innovation (ETI), Monitoring, Technology, and Verification (MTV), Consortium for Nuclear Forensics (CNF), and the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC). 

Consortium for Enabling Technology and Innovation

National security that focuses on nuclear nonproliferation activities often confronts a balance between the peaceful use of nuclear energy and threats—this is a dynamic environment affected by world events. Nuclear nonproliferation is a multifaceted endeavor, and progress requires a holistic approach across many disciplines. 

One of the most important components of nuclear nonproliferation is the development of the next generation of experts who will lead this work. The ETI Consortium is designed to accomplish that. 

The ETI Consortium is composed of fourteen institutions of higher education and twelve national laboratories from across the nation. The goal of this consortium is to generate a research, education, and student-focused environment that supports cross-cutting technologies to grow the capacity of our nation in disciplines that contribute to nuclear nonproliferation activities. 

core discipline areas

• Computer and engineering science research specifically in machine learning and high-performance computing (HPC)
• Advanced manufacturing
• Nuclear detection technologies

Consortium for Monitoring, Technology, and Verification

Preventing the spread of nuclear weapons is one of the central challenges facing our society today. The development of a nuclear weapons program by a state actor, or the acquisition of a nuclear device by a rogue organization, has the potential for creating domestic unrest, political instability, and economic disruption on the national and global scale. The use of a nuclear device in a conflict or as an instrument of terror would carry dire humanitarian, desperate societal, and extreme geopolitical, consequences. Therefore, efforts are urgently needed to ensure the timely detection and understanding of the signatures of nuclear proliferation, including the detection and characterization of fissile material at all stages of the nuclear fuel cycle. Should a nuclear event occur, robust analytical tools are essential for timely and accurate detection and characterization of the event for the ensuing consequence management, attribution, and remediation.

Our Consortium for MTV will address these challenges, and significantly advance the national capability to detect and characterize foreign nuclear weapons development programs and detect activities not in compliance with current treaty obligations. We will address gaps and challenges in the technologies needed to monitor and verify nuclear capabilities around the world by executing research projects in close collaboration with national laboratories.

The MTV Consortium is composed of fourteen institutions of higher education and thirteen national laboratories/sites. The strategy for MTV is to build upon the success of the prior Consortium for Verification Technology (CVT) to develop technology and expand the pipeline of talent to support current and future NNSA nonproliferation mission needs.

Core discipline areas

• Fundamentals of nuclear and particle physics
• Signals and source terms for nuclear nonproliferation
• Nuclear explosion monitoring

Cross-cutting Areas

• Modeling and simulation
• Nuclear policy
• Education and outreach

Consortium for Nuclear Forensics

This new NNSA consortium seeks to develop novel techniques and train the next generation of scientists and specialist in nuclear forensics, which identifies and tracks nuclear materials to support global safety. NNSA has established the following research disciplines as priorities for building skills sets to increase our Nation's capacity in nuclear forensics:

• Radiochemistry
• Geochemistry
• Nuclear physics, science, and engineering
• Nuclear material science
• Shock physics
• Quantum-enabled sensing
• Analytical chemistry

PNNL is working with the University of Florida, as the lead CNF university, along with its supporting universities and partner national laboratories, to help meet these priorities. The core goals for PNNL include supporting PNNL PIs in their research engagements under each of the nuclear forensic thrust areas, and especially seeking out new opportunities to work with professors and students on nuclear forensics research activities and ultimately work to have these professionals pursue careers in nuclear forensics and related nuclear activities at DOE national laboratories.

Nuclear Science and Security Consortium

The Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC) is another NNSA University-sponsored program that seeks to “develop a new generation of laboratory-integrated nuclear experts” and to provide “hands-on training in nuclear science, technology, and policy.  PNNL is not one of the partner national laboratories on this consortium, but we still have a high interest in its success and importance to our nation’s nuclear security mission.