Development ranges from conceptual research, to engineering, to implementation, and to training.
Technology development enhances nuclear materials control and accountability at domestic DOE nuclear facilities and supports international nonproliferation activities. NIS-5 provides measurement, instrumentation, and analysis technology that allows the NDA of nuclear materials by detecting and analyzing the neutrons or gamma rays given off by the material. The analysis can be either active or passive. In active techniques, the nuclear material is bombarded with neutrons or gamma rays and the neutrons or gamma rays given off in response are detected. Some nuclear materials produce sufficient quantities of neutrons or gamma rays to make a detectable passive signature.