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The challenge of analyzing nuclear-related materials is that normal procedures are difficult to use because of the radiation field surrounding the material. At the other end of the spectrum, the difficulty is to analyse these materials in which concentrations of radionuclides are extremely low.

The challenge of analyzing nuclear-related materials is that normal procedures are often difficult to use because of the radiation field surrounding the material. At the other end of the spectrum, the difficulty is to analyze these materials in which concentrations of radionuclides are extremely low. In both cases, it is important to determine the solid-state chemistry of the nuclear material and the speciation of the radionuclides in their environment. This is exactly the type of data that are the foundation of safety analyses required by nuclear organizations (e.g. NRC, IAEA, …).

Systematic updates of the full range of analytical techniques that can be applied to radionuclides characterisation in situ shall be presented. A comprehensive presentation suggests splitting the techniques into two broad categories: those by which a material may be examined by passive techniques, based on the detection of its emitted particles/waves e.g. photons, leptons, neutrons or ions, and those that require an interaction of these particles as probe with the sample, excitations and detection. For both cases, examples are given to illustrate the techniques. By comparing the techniques, the different length scales at which each probe samples the properties of the nuclear material are considered. This allows scientists to match the proper technique to the scientific question that is being asked. Emphasis is carried on the detection limits, because detection is often the major challenge of an analytical technique. Now, the way forward with these challenging analytical problems is to combine techniques, taking advantage of the range of particle/wave interactions with the samples. This presentation is an introduction to the panoply of approaches that are available to the modern analyst faced with the challenge of analyzing nuclear materials or radionuclides in the environment.