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
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
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
Mar 2025
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
February 2025
Latest News
WEST claims latest plasma confinement record
The French magnetic confinement fusion tokamak known as WEST maintained a plasma in February for more than 22 minutes—1,337 seconds, to be precise—and “smashed” the previous record plasma duration for a tokamak with a 25 percent improvement, according to the CEA, which operates the machine. The previous 1,006-second record was set by China’s EAST just a few weeks prior. Records are made to be broken, but this rapid progress illustrates a collective, global increase in plasma confinement expertise, aided by tungsten in key components.
P. Cloth, H. Conrads
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 62 | Number 4 | April 1977 | Pages 591-600
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE77-A15203
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Experimental work on the dense-plasma focus device Jülich I is presented. The main objective of this program was the development of a neutron source for controlled thermonuclear reactor applications on blanket and material problems. Therefore, detailed studies of the neutron production mechanism and of the fusion plasma properties of the plasma focus experiment were necessary. The investigations have been performed using reaction neutrons as special tools of plasma diagnostics. The results of neutron spectrum measurements indicate the presence of high-energy deuterons of at least 300 keV moving predominantly parallel to the axis of the gun. Neutrons produced by fusion reactions of deuterium and 7Li have been observed, again showing the presence of ions with energies above 300 keV up to at least 1 MeV. By shadow bar techniques, it has been found that the origin of the neutrons is restricted to a cone that extends from the anode to the lid of the discharge vessel. This suggests an acceleration of deuterons near the anode within the plasma volume. The deuterons are extruded from the pinch, moving freely through the neutral gas. The fusion reactions have been detected all along the flight path of the deuterons up to a distance of 126 cm from the anode. Time-resolved measurements of the neutron production show dependence of the emission time on the axial dimensions of the vessel.