Measuring $^{19}$F($\alpha $,n) with VANDLE for Nuclear Safeguards*

UF$_{6}$ is used in many parts of the Uranium Fuel Cycle, and various techniques are used by nonproliferation agencies to monitor and account for the material. One of the most promising non-destructive assay (NDA) methods consists of measuring gross neutron rates induced by uranium-decay alpha particles reacting with the fluorine and emitting a neutron. This method, however, currently lacks reliable nuclear data on the $^{19}$F($\alpha $,n) reaction cross section to determine an accurate neutron yield rate for a given sample of UF$_{6}$. We have used the Versatile Array of Neutron Detectors at Low Energy (VANDLE) to measure the cross section and coincident neutron spectrum over an energy range pertinent to NDA in a two part experiment: First at Notre Dame with a LaF$_{3}$ target and a pulsed alpha-particle beam, and second at ORNL with a windowless He-gas target and a $^{19}$F beam. The motivation for this measurement and preliminary results will be presented.