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Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
Meeting Spotlight
2027 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
October 31–November 4, 2027
Washington, DC|The Westin Washington, DC Downtown
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Latest News
Disney World should have gone nuclear
There is extra significance to the American Nuclear Society holding its annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, this past week. That’s because in 1967, the state of Florida passed a law allowing Disney World to build a nuclear power plant.
Tome Kosteski, Nazir P. Kherani, Walter T. Shmayda, Stefan Costea, Stefan Zukotynski
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 48 | Number 1 | July-August 2005 | Pages 700-703
Technical Paper | Tritium Science and Technology - Properties, Reactions, and Applications | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A1020
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
p-i-n junction nuclear devices have been made using tritiated amorphous silicon in the intrinsic region. In this unique device, tritium passivates defects and at the same time is an internal source of beta particles. The beta particles traverse the i-layer and through impact ionization, electron-hole pairs are generated. These charges are separated by the built-in field of the p-i-n junction and electrical power is generated. The power from the devices is about 0.2 nW cm-2 in a device of 400 nm thickness. The decay of tritium leads to the formation of dangling bonds and strain related defects in the silicon lattice. These defects lead to a decrease in the effective width of the space charge region and thereby to an increase in the recombination rate of carriers. As a consequence the electric power decreases with time. To overcome this degradation in performance, delta layered devices were made by selectively introducing tritium into the intrinsic region by modulating the tritium gas fraction during film deposition. The electric power from devices with a delta layer have better stability.