Forensics

Every Form of Terrorism is Traceable

The challenge of nuclear terrorism has become a threat that requires new and innovative technologies. A team formed by, among the rest, scientists at Colorado State University (CSU), will work to create a new instrument capable of detecting trace amounts of uranium and other materials.

The research partnership, led at CSU by University Professor Carmen Menoni of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office through its Nuclear Forensics Research Award (NFRA) program.

According to phys.org, Menoni will oversee the design and implementation of a highly sensitive mass spectrometer capable of detecting just a few uranium atoms at a time, which may prove useful in counter nuclear terrorism operations. The instrument will also allow nano scale imaging of the isotopic content of solid samples, in three dimensions.