A novel proliferation concern has emerged with the planned deployment of nuclear-powered submarines by Non-Nuclear Weapon States. A prominent example is the planned sale of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines by the US and the UK to Australia under the AUKUS agreement. On ther other hand, interest in the development of nuclear propulsion for merchant ships is rising due to the availibility of modern, compact reactors. It is important to give safeguards inspectors new tools for a comprehensive and reliable safeguards regime, capable of detecting a diversion of nuclear material in access- and information-limited environments.
In this seminar talk, Robin Tobias Mentel will present research on the detailed simulation of antineutrino-monitoring of two nuclear-powered vessels, a submarine and a merchant ship, moored at port of a consenting host state. We simulate the antineutrino emission from their reactors, modeled using OpenMC, and their subsequent detection in a ton-scale active medium a few meters away. While focusing on the type of nuclear reactors relevant for the AUKUS-class submarines, we explore the plausible parameter space of naval nuclear reactors in terms of enrichment fraction, reactor power, and burnup. Finally, we explore ways to implement this technique in the context of safeguards.
Details and participation in the Webinar: https://lnsp.mit.edu/seminar-list/2026/9/25/evaluating-the-feasibility-of-antineutrino-based-safeguards-for-naval-and-maritime-reactors
