Nuclear Reactions
This process involves the splitting of a heavy nucleus into lighter nuclei, releasing energy.
What is fission?
The device used to measure ionizing radiation by detecting ionization events in a gas-filled tube.
What is a Geiger-Mueller counter?
The name of the process used to control the reactivity of a nuclear reactor using materials like boron or cadmium.
What is neutron absorption?
This naturally occurring fissile isotope commonly used as nuclear fuel.
What is Uranium-235?
This material, known for its low neutron absorption, is commonly used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.
What is graphite?
The minimum mass of fissile material needed to maintain a sustained nuclear chain reaction.
What is critical mass?
This type of radiation consists of electromagnetic waves with high energy and no mass.
What is gamma radiation?
This term describes the ratio of neutrons produced by fission to the neutrons absorbed in the reactor.
What is the multiplication factor (k)?
The process of increasing the proportion of U-235 in uranium fuel.
What is enrichment?
A type of material used in reactors to absorb excess neutrons and control reactivity.
What are control rods?
The reaction in which two light nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing energy.
What is nuclear fusion?
An SI unit of radiation dose that accounts for the biological effect of ionizing radiation.
What is a Sievert
The point at which the reactor is balanced, with neutron production and loss rates equal.
What is criticality?
The long-term storage solution for high-level nuclear waste involving geological stability.
What is deep underground storage?
A process by which irradiation causes a material to become brittle and lose ductility.
What is radiation embrittlement?
This term describes the probability of a nuclear reaction occurring when a nucleus and a particle collide.
What is cross-section?
The type of detector that uses scintillation light coupled with a photomultiplier tube for radiation detection.
What is a scintillation detector?
The method of slowing down neutrons in a reactor to increase the likelihood of fission in thermal reactors.
What is moderation?
The term for the closed-loop approach to nuclear fuel, where spent fuel is reprocessed and reused.
What is a closed fuel cycle?
A ceramic material often used as nuclear fuel due to its high melting point and stability under irradiation.
What is uranium dioxide (UO₂)?
This type of reaction mechanism involves the temporary formation of a new nucleus before decaying into products.
What is the compound nucleus mechanism?
The phenomenon where charged particles emit light when passing through a medium at a speed greater than the phase velocity of light in that medium.
What is Cherenkov radiation?
A common computational method used to simulate neutron transport in nuclear reactors.
What is the Monte Carlo method?
The chemical process used to reprocess spent nuclear fuel to recover fissile material.
What is PUREX (Plutonium Uranium Redox Extraction)?
The alloy often used in fuel cladding due to its low neutron absorption and high corrosion resistance.
What is Zircaloy?