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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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General Kenneth Nichols and the Manhattan Project
Nichols
The Oak Ridger has published the latest in a series of articles about General Kenneth D. Nichols, the Manhattan Project, and the 1954 Atomic Energy Act. The series has been produced by Nichols’ grandniece Barbara Rogers Scollin and Oak Ridge (Tenn.) city historian David Ray Smith. Gen. Nichols (1907–2000) was the district engineer for the Manhattan Engineer District during the Manhattan Project.
As Smith and Scollin explain, Nichols “had supervision of the research and development connected with, and the design, construction, and operation of, all plants required to produce plutonium-239 and uranium-235, including the construction of the towns of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington. The responsibility of his position was massive as he oversaw a workforce of both military and civilian personnel of approximately 125,000; his Oak Ridge office became the center of the wartime atomic energy’s activities.”
Lei Zhu, Jim E. Morel
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 164 | Number 3 | March 2010 | Pages 205-220
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE08-67
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We derive three new linear-discontinuous least-squares discretizations for the Sn equations in one-dimensional slab geometry. Standard least-squares methods are not compatible with discontinuous trial spaces, and they are also generally not conservative. Our new methods are unique in that they are based upon a least-squares minimization principle, use a discontinuous trial space, are conservative, and retain the structure of standard Sn spatial discretization schemes. To our knowledge, conservative least-squares spatial discretization schemes have not previously been developed for the Sn equations. We compare our new methods both theoretically and numerically to the linear-discontinuous Galerkin method and the lumped linear-discontinuous Galerkin method. We find that one of our schemes is clearly superior to the other two and offers certain advantages over both of the Galerkin schemes.