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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
P. E. Moroz, D. B. Batchelor, B. A. Carreras, S. P. Hirshman, D. K. Lee, V. E. Lynch, D. A. Spong, J. S. Tolliver, A. S. Ware, J. C. Whitson
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 30 | Number 3 | December 1996 | Pages 1347-1354
Innovative Approaches to Fusion Energy | doi.org/10.13182/FST96-A11963136
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Novel concepts of an ultra-low-aspect-ratio stellarator system, called a Spherical Stellarator (SS), or a stellarator-tokamak hybrid system, called SMARTH (Small Aspect Ratio Toroidal Hybrid) are discussed for high-β regimes of operation. Self-consistent analysis of the three-dimensional MHD equilibria with inductively driven plasma current or bootstrap current is presented. It is stressed that the bootstrap current in SS can be large and is flowing in such a direction that the rotational transform produced enhances the vacuum rotational transform. This feature increases the equilibrium β-limit. The high-β equilibria in SS and SMARTH (β(0) > 30%, β ⋍ 8-9%) are demonstrated, correspondingly, with the bootstrap current and the ohmic current. Possible experiments and scalings, including those for reactor parameters, are outlined.