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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
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!
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March 2025
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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. T. Guenther, D. G. Havel, A. B. Smith
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 65 | Number 1 | January 1978 | Pages 174-180
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE78-A27140
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Differential elastic neutron scattering cross sections of 206Pb, 207Pb, 208Pb, and 209Bi are measured at incident neutron energy intervals of ∼25 keV from 0.6 to 1.0 MeV. Optical model parameters are obtained from the energy-averaged experimental results for each of the isotopes. The 209Bi model was selected for extrapolation to 238U by introducing a small (N - Z)/A dependence and the known deformation of 238U. Calculated results are descriptive of 238U total neutron cross sections from a few hundred keV to >15.0 MeV and of recently measured differential 238U elastic and inelastic neutron scattering distributions at energies of 3.0 MeV, including new experimental values explicitly obtained for these comparisons. The model and the measurements imply total 238U inelastic neutron scattering cross sections considerably larger than in common applied usage.
