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Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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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Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
ARPA-E announces $40 million to develop transmutation technologies for UNF
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) announced $40 million in funding to develop cutting-edge technologies to enable the transmutation of used nuclear fuel into less-radioactive substances. According to ARPA-E, the new initiative addresses one of the agency’s core goals as outlined by Congress: to provide transformative solutions to improve the management, cleanup, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.
A. V. Gorshkov, S. V. Akhtyrskiy, I. S. Bel'bas, E. E. Mukhin, A. G. Razdobarin, S. Yu. Tolstyakov
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 62 | Number 1 | July-August 2012 | Pages 104-109
Diagnostics | Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Fusion Reactor Materials, Part A: Fusion Technology | doi.org/10.13182/FST12-A14120
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The metal mirrors for deflecting laser radiation in the divertor Thomson scattering system of ITER are found to be inapplicable due to high density of laser radiation on a mirror. This is caused by the short distance from the laser focus to the mirror surface. We report on investigations of the possibility to use dielectric mirrors and protective sapphire plates in a rotary unit. We study the laser damage thresholds of optical elements, which are supposed to be used in the laser input channel. These optical elements are the dielectric mirrors deposited on different substrates (quartz, sapphire, and single-crystal molybdenum) and the protecting sapphire plate. A number of sapphire samples were irradiated by a neutron flux up to 1019 n/cm2 (E > 100 keV) and annealed. Laser damage thresholds of the elements were measured at room temperature and at the ITER operating temperature of 150°C.A YAG:Nd laser operating with 10-Hz repetition rate was used in the experiments. The laser pulse parameters were 1064-nm wavelength, 16-ns duration, and 250 to 300 mJ of energy.The experiments have not identified any dependence of optical element damage threshold versus the number of laser pulses. No damage was observed after 105 laser pulses with energy density just 10% below the damage threshold level.The applicability of these optical elements in the divertor Thomson scattering system of ITER had been proven.