Nuclear Security Applications of Antineutrino Detectors: Current Capabilities and Future Prospects

TL;DR

This paper reviews the current state and future potential of antineutrino detectors in nuclear security, emphasizing their role in nonproliferation and nuclear monitoring applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive survey of applied antineutrino physics, recent advances, and future research directions for nuclear security applications.

Findings

Antineutrino detectors can effectively monitor nuclear reactors.

Recent technological advances improve detection capabilities.

The field is poised for significant future developments.

Abstract

Antineutrinos are electrically neutral, nearly massless fundamental particles produced in large numbers in the cores of nuclear reactors and in nuclear explosions. In the half century since their discovery, major advances in the understanding of their properties, and in detector technology, have opened the door to a new discipline: Applied Antineutrino Physics. Because antineutrinos are inextricably linked to the process of nuclear fission, many applications of interest are in nuclear nonproliferation. This white paper presents a comprehensive survey of applied antineutrino physics relevant for nonproliferation, summarizes recent advances in the field, describes the overlap of this nascent discipline with other ongoing fundamental and applied antineutrino research, and charts a course for research and development for future applications. It is intended as a resource for policymakers, researchers, and the wider nuclear nonproliferation community.