Improving the Confidence Associated with Passive Total Neutron Counting in the Nuclear Weapon Disarmament Verification Process

Passive total neutron counting is an important tool in the nuclear weapon disarmament monitoring and verification process proposed by the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV). In the process, neutron measurements of given treaty accountable items (TAIs) are repeated multiple times in different locations and environments, and the measured neutron count rates are expected to remain unchanged. However, neutrons are heavily scattered in the environment, and the change in location or geometry of the environment can produce varying results in neutron measurements which can deteriorate the confidence of passive total neutron counting. In this paper, we have studie…