Speaker
Description
This presentation describes the Argon-37 Field System in detail, a complex instrument, which was developed to measure 37Ar from soil gas samples. Argon-37 is an important signature for assessing if an event was nuclear, it is produced via neutron activation of calcium in the soil, is non-reactive so will migrate through the earth unimpeded, and will likely be available at the subsurface for collection and measurement. When detected with radioxenon from soil gas, 37Ar can help discriminate between anthropogenic sources and an underground nuclear explosion. This presentation will describe the details needed to collect a sample, process and measure a sample, and analyze and report the activity concentration of 37Ar. Measurement of 37Ar from soil gas requires a set of integrated chemical processes that separate and remove components of air, collect and purify the argon gas, then measure the radioactive 37Ar atoms. The information collected from the measurement must then be analyzed taking into consideration all sources of background and the quality of the measurement.
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