Technical Review of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office Transformational and Applied Research Directorate's Research and Development Program

Abstract

At the request of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO), a Study Committee comprised of representatives from the American Physical Society, Panel on Public Affairs, the IEEE, and Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society performed a technical review of the DNDO Transformational and Applied Research Directorate (TARD) R&D program. TARD's principal objective is to address gaps in the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture (GNDA) through improvements in the performance, cost, and operational burden of detectors and systems. The charge to the Study Committee was to investigate the existing TARD R&D plan and portfolio, recommend changes to the existing plan, and recommend possible new R&D areas and opportunities. This report is the result of an independent, detailed analysis of the current R&D plan and includes, for each application area, observations, and recommendations to focus future investments within the context of the TARD mission.

Keywords

• Algorithms and modeling
• radiation detection
• shielded nuclear materials
• nuclear forensics