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.
U. Shumlak, E. T. Meier, B. J. Levitt
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 80 | Number 1 | January 2024 | Pages 1-16
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2198049
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Fusion gain and triple product are derived for the sheared-flow-stabilized (SFS) Z pinch by including the input power associated with driving the plasma flow and the additional advective loss of thermal energy. Plasma impurities contribute to radiative power losses and to thermal power losses by increasing the electron population. The presence of impurities increases the required plasma parameters, characterized by the triple product, to achieve fusion gain. The analysis is applied to deuterium-tritium (D-T) fusion, though the methodology can be extended to other reactions. Since D-T fusion produces an alpha particle, the possibility exists of magnetically confining the alpha with sufficiently high magnetic fields, which are self-generated by the plasma pinch current. Confined alpha particles can heat the D-T fusion fuel, reduce the needed input power, and thereby amplify the fusion gain. However, ignition () does not occur since the axial plasma flow must be externally driven. The impacts of alpha heating and impurity losses are considered on the fusion performance of the SFS Z pinch. Requirements, assumptions, and limitations are described that would justify a determination of “D-T equivalent conditions” in a D-D plasma. A minimum set of experimental measurements of plasma parameters is specified that can be compared to a plasma parameter map to facilitate a “” claim, where is defined by instantaneous values of fusion power and input power. Corroborating measurements are also discussed that would further support extrapolation of plasma and fusion performance to D-T operation.