Dr. Manoj Prasad
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
CNEC Distinguished Technical Lecturer

Abstract

Neutron and gamma multiplicity assay analysis attempts to determine SNM (special nuclear material) parameters such as mass and level of criticality of a fissioning system, based on inverting the information in neutron and gamma counting. We describe the various modeling capabilities developed and published at LLNL towards this effort which go beyond moments-based analyses.

Biography

Manoj Prasad received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Yale University.  He has worked on transport and hydro code development for both laser fusion and nuclear design programs at LLNL. For the past 15 years, he has worked in the emergency response arena where he has developed models, algorithms, and codes to assay nuclear material. His theoretical contributions on fission chains have formed the basis of several neutron multiplicity codes at LLNL and AWE. He has received LLNL Nuclear Design Directorate awards, LLNL Global Security Directorate awards, and a Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer award. He holds several patents on Absolute Nuclear Material Assay that underlie the Fission Meter technology developed at LLNL and which are licensed to AMETEK-ORTEC.