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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.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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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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.
Makio Ohkubo
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 66 | Number 2 | May 1978 | Pages 217-228
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE78-A27202
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Capture and scattering probabilities for neutrons impinging on thick samples were measured by the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute Linac time-of-flight spectrometer and were compared with those by Monte Carlo calculation. Sweeping the incident neutron energy, the capture probability shows peaks at resonance energies in the case of a thin sample, whereas it shows dips for a thick sample, i.e., saturation occurs just at resonance energies. This saturation phenomenon is analyzed by Monte Carlo calculation for a distribution of path lengths of incident neutrons in the sample until capture in the sample. The saturation values of capture probability at resonance energies Pco are defined, and their dependence on the resonance parameters Γn/Γ is examined. The relations between Pco and Γn/Γ, with parameters including recoil energy, are obtained by Monte Carlo calculation. The relations are verified by measurement of Pco for many resonances of various Γn/Γ values. With the relation, Γn/Γ can be determined from Pco, which is not sensitive to sample thickness.