Plutonium Pits – Aging
updated 24 Apr 2024

• GAO Nuclear Weapons: Information on the NNSA's Research Plan for Plutonium and Pit Aging, GAO-24-106740, Feb 29, 2024



• DOE/NNSA Research Program Plan for Plutonium and Pit Aging, Report to Congress, Sep 2021 (h/t Tom Clements, SRS Watch)



• JASON letter report on plutonium pit aging, JSR-19-2A, Nov 23, 2019 (h/t Federation of American Scientists)
  
  
• LANL 1663, Plutonium Science Surges Forward, "In Their Own Words - Albert Migliori," Dec 2016
  
  
• Technical Considerations for the Evolving US Nuclear-Weapons Stockpile, JSR-14-Task-006E, Jan 15, 2015
  
  
• Assessment of Nuclear Weapon Pit Production Requirements, report from Sec. of Defense Chuck Hagel to HASC, Jan 16, 2014
  
  
• Heller, Arnie and Chung, Brandon, "Plutonium at 150 years: Going Strong and Aging Gracefully," Science &Technology Review, Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Laboratory, Dec 2012, https://str.llnl.gov/Dec12/pdfs/12.12.2.pdf
  
  
• Plutonium in Warhead Cores (“Pits”) Stable to 150 Years, LASG press release, Dec 6, 2012
  
  
• LANL talking points re: LASG's “Plutonium in Warhead Cores (“Pits”) Stable to 150 Years," Dec 6, 2012
  
  
• Study Group comments on LANL letter in response to the Study Group's Dec 6 press release, Dec 12, 2012
  
  
• Freibert, Franz, MST-16, Nuclear Materials Science Group, "Plutonium Metallurgy," Los Alamos National Laboratory, LA-UR-12-23982, Aug 9, 2012
  
  
• Murthy, M.S.S., "The Case of the Aging Nukes," Science Reporter, Jul 2010, http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/9865/1/SR%2047%287%29%2030-31.pdf
  
  
• Kniss, Brett and Kornreich, Drew, "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Pit Manufacturing Capacity," Los Alamos National Laboratory, November 2009
  
  
• JASON - Lifetime Extension Program, (LEP), Executive Summary, JSR-09-334E, Sep 9, 2009
  
  
• Wilk, P.A., et.al., "Spiked Alloy Production for Accelerated Aging of Plutonium," LLNL-PROC-415056, Jul 27, 2009
  
  
• DOE & DoD, "National Security and Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century," Sep 2008
  
  
• Chung, Brandon W., et. al., "Physical Property Changes in Aging Plutonium Alloys," LLNL-PROC-402467, Mar 21, 2008
  
  
• Pereyra, Ramiro A. and Lovato, Darryl, "Plutonium Metallography at Los Alamos," LA-UR-07-0066, Aug 9, 2007
  
  
• Heller, Arnie and Schwartz, Adam J., "U.S. Weapons Plutonium - Aging Gracefully," Science &Technology Review, Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Laboratory, May 2007, https://str.llnl.gov/str/May07/pdfs/05_07.2.pdf
  
  
• NNSA press release: Studies Show Plutonium Degradation in U.S. Nuclear Weapons Will Not Affect Reliability Soon, Nov 29, 2006
  
  
• Hemley, R. J., and D. Meiron, et.al., "Pit Lifetime," JSR: 06-335, The MITRE Corporation, Nov 28, 2006



• Slakey, Francis, "The Modern Pit Facility (MPF)," American Physical Society Panel on Public Affairs, Apr 2004, https://www.aps.org/policy/reports/popa-reports/upload/pit_facility.pdf
  
  
• Martz, J.C. & Schwartz, A.J., "Plutonium: Aging mechanisms and weapon pit lifetime assessment," The Journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), 2003, 55:19, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-003-0023-0
  
  
• "The Plutonium Challenge, Stockpile Stewardship," Los Alamos Science, No. 26, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2000, http://permalink.lanl.gov/object/tr?what=info:lanl-repo/lareport/LA-UR-00-3961
  
  
• Jeanloz, Raymond, "Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship," Physics Today, American Institute of Physics, Dec 2000, http://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1063/1.1341914
  
  
• Drell, S., Jeanloz, R., "Remanufacture," JSR-99-300, The MITRE Corporation, October 1999