Photo of the Week: Fieldable Atomic Beam Isotopic Analyzer (FABIA)

The Fieldable Atomic Beam Isotopic Analyzer (FABIA) uses high-resolution absorption spectroscopy to reveal the isotopes in a solid sample quickly and accurately. This avoids the sample preparation, isotopic interference, and chemical waste of mass spectrometry and other methods. The small size, light weight, and simple infrastructure needs make it portable. Fast analysis at the point of generation aids nuclear energy production, global security, and nuclear medicine. The device could serve as a nuclear non-proliferation analytical tool to safeguard that uranium is being enriched only enough for nuclear energy fuel. FABIA has analyzed samples at an enrichment plant.

Photo credit: James Blake and Allen Hopkins, Los Alamos National Laboratory