ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Apr 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2025
Nuclear Technology
April 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
General Kenneth Nichols and the Manhattan Project
Nichols
The Oak Ridger has published the latest in a series of articles about General Kenneth D. Nichols, the Manhattan Project, and the 1954 Atomic Energy Act. The series has been produced by Nichols’ grandniece Barbara Rogers Scollin and Oak Ridge (Tenn.) city historian David Ray Smith. Gen. Nichols (1907–2000) was the district engineer for the Manhattan Engineer District during the Manhattan Project.
As Smith and Scollin explain, Nichols “had supervision of the research and development connected with, and the design, construction, and operation of, all plants required to produce plutonium-239 and uranium-235, including the construction of the towns of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington. The responsibility of his position was massive as he oversaw a workforce of both military and civilian personnel of approximately 125,000; his Oak Ridge office became the center of the wartime atomic energy’s activities.”
K. Govinda Rajan, U. Kamachi Mudali, R. K. Dayal, P. Rodriguez
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 20 | Number 1 | August 1991 | Pages 100-104
Technical Note on Cold Fusion | doi.org/10.13182/FST91-A29647
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Following recent announcements of the occurrence of nuclear fusion between deuterium nuclei in palladium near room temperature in an electrolysis cell, explanations for the incredibly large increase in fusion probability have been sought. Two pointers seem to emerge: the high density of deuterium ions sustained by the cathode material and, more importantly, the substantial screening effect produced by the conduction electrons in the host metal, which reduces the D+-D+ barrier. This latter mechanism appears to be a function of the concentration of the D+ ions. It is well known that an electric field applied across a metallic bar produces a large concentration gradient of interstitial ions along the length of the bar. For hydrogen (or deuterium) in metals, ordinary electric fields can produce a concentration gradient of ∼1020 between the ends. Thus, with the simultaneous application of an electric field along the length of the cathode in an electrolysis experiment, an elegant method of producing a nonequilibrium deuterium concentration becomes available. Hence, it is reasonable to expect an enhancement in the nuclear reactions occurring in the cathode in such an experiment. To investigate this phenomenon, a two-compartment electrolysis cell is built. A titanium rod suitably shaped for the application of the simultaneous electric field is employed as the cathode. Electrolysis of heavy water is conducted for several hours. Neutron counters are employed for continuous detection of neutrons. With the size of electrode used and for electric fields of up to 20 mV/cm, neither a significant neutron emission nor any rise in the tritium level in the heavy water are detected. Faint traces of autoradiographs are, however, observed for the cathode.