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2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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DTRA’s advancements in nuclear and radiological detection
A new, more complex nuclear age has begun. Echoing the tensions of the Cold War amid rapidly evolving nuclear and radiological threats, preparedness in the modern age is a contest of scientific innovation. The Research and Development Directorate (RD) at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is charged with winning this contest.
Lukas Zavorka, Igor Remec, Andrew Cooper, Jonathan Rogers, Gregory Failla
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 200 | Number 2 | February 2026 | Pages 312-319
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2025.2551385
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Second Target Station (STS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source is designed to become the world’s highest peak brightness source of cold neutrons. To design a complex radiation facility such as the STS in a timely manner, the latest radiation transport computational tools are necessary. In this work we discuss the application the new Attila4MC ® mesh generator and the new Attila4MC-CottonwoodTM variance reduction module, both developed by Silver Fir Software, Inc. The new tools were used to generate unstructured mesh geometry and coupled neutron-photon weight windows for the subsequent MCNP simulation of energy deposition, radiation damage, and prompt dose rate for several STS components with significantly increased efficiency.