Research activities in the Nuclear Analytical Methods Group are focused on the science that supports the
identification and quantitation of chemical species by nuclear analytical techniques. Current laboratory research
activities involve the full suite of nuclear analytical techniques including instrumental and radiochemical neutron
activation analysis (NAA), prompt gamma-ray activation analysis (PGAA), and neutron depth profiling (NDP), as well
as applications of neutron focusing technology for analytical applications. The measurement capabilities that reside
within this group provide an excellent complement to those in the Spectrochemical Methods Group in that they depend
upon characteristics of the nucleus of the element rather than the electron shells so that any potential method biases
differ. Unlike most other techniques of chemical analysis, INAA is nondestructive, that is, does not require sample
dissolution. |