Plutonium Futures -- The Science

Over 1,000 tons of plutonium exist throughout the world in the form of nuclear fuel, nuclear weapons, inventories of various types, and legacy materials. Regardless of ones views of how this condition came to be, or what actions are taken in the future, it is a certainty that large quantities of plutonium must be managed for many decades. Thus it is clear that the plutonium challenge is not only scientific, but political and socioeconomic as well.§In view of the global nature of plutonium research efforts, the Plutonium Futures - The Science conference was established to increase awareness of the importance of the scientific underpinnings of plutonium research, and facilitate communication among its international practitioners. The 2003 conference is the third in this series; the two previous conferences were held in Santa Fe in 1997 and 2000. Extended abstracts of the presentations cover the latest results in plutonium condensed matter physics, materials science, compounds and complexes, environmental behavior, detection and analysis, separations and purification, nuclear fuel cycles, and waste isolation and disposal.