http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/nuclear_energy/ Nuclear Energy Research. Nuclear power, fission and fusion, tabletop accelerators, and more. Read the latest scientific research on nuclear energy. Full-text, images, free. en-us Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:05:01 EDT Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/nuclear_energy/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144321.htm New analytical tools coming on line at the Spallation Neutron Source, the Department of Energy's state-of-the-art neutron science facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, include a beam line dedicated to nuclear physics studies. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925154248.htm A new "graphene-based" material that helps solve the structure of graphite oxide and could lead to other potential discoveries of the one-atom thick substance called graphene, which has applications in nanoelectronics, energy storage and production, and transportation such as airplanes and cars has been created by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin. Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925154248.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001130000.htm More than 20 years later, researchers from Case Western Reserve University traveled to Sweden and Poland to gain insight into the downward migration of Chernobyl-derived radionuclides in the soil. Among the team's findings was the fact that much more plutonium was found in the Swedish soil at a depth that corresponded with the nuclear explosion than that of Poland. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001130000.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080930105909.htm As more nations pursue nuclear power, the United States and Russia, along with other countries and the International Atomic Energy Agency, should redouble efforts to ensure a reliable supply of nuclear fuel so that countries seeking nuclear energy have less incentive to build their own facilities to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, says a new report by the US National Academy of Sciences and Russian Academy of Sciences. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080930105909.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080926194615.htm Until recently, scientists couldn't create gold nanoparticles without producing synthetic chemicals that had negative impacts on the environment. A new method not only eliminates any negative environmental impact, but also has resulted in national and international recognition for the lead scientist. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080926194615.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922100148.htm It may be possible to dramatically reduce the radioactive waste isolation time -- from several million years to as little as 300 - 500 years. In order to decrease the isolation time for radioactive waste, first of all, the actinides - elements whose nuclei are heavier than uranium (i.e. curium, actinium) - must be removed from the waste by processing (transmutation) into short-lived nuclei. Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922100148.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917145415.htm Scientists have puzzled for years about why uranium contamination in groundwater continues to exceed drinking water standards in an area located at the south end of the Hanford Site near Richland, Wash. The Department of Energy wants answers to why the uranium persists. Now, an innovative well-monitoring system has been installed for field experiments to better understand this complex site and to support future clean-up decisions. Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917145415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910090831.htm Fusion for Energy (F4E) with the support of the European Commission, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and ITER Organisation have successfully tested a prototype superconductor for the ITER Poloidal Field coils made of Niobium(Nb)-Titanium(Ti) reaching a stable operation at 52 kA in a magnetic field of 6.4 Tesla. Poloidal Field coils will be used to maintain the plasma equilibrium and shape inside the ITER Tokamak reactor. Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910090831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910161016.htm NASA astronauts will need power sources when they return to the moon and establish a lunar outpost. NASA engineers are exploring the possibility of nuclear fission to provide the necessary power and taking initial steps toward a non-nuclear technology demonstration of this type of system. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910161016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902110625.htm US regulators have ignored expert safety advice in an attempt to cut corners and fast track the completion of a $4 billion nuclear fuel facility currently under construction near Aiken, South Carolina. The accusation is reported in The Chemical Engineer magazine, published by the Institution of Chemical Engineers. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902110625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821213606.htm A new recycling plant will soon recover uranium from the ashes of radioactive garbage to be recycled back into nuclear fuel using an efficient, environmentally friendly technology inspired by decaffeinated coffee. The technique's future may even hold the key to recycling the most dangerous forms of radioactive waste. Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821213606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160059.htm In the quest to better understand one of nature's most "ghostly" elementary particles -- the neutrino -- scientists at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory are spreading their expertise from the mines of Canada to the mountains of China. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710145731.htm Researchers have devised a technology that can distinguish mine collapses from other seismic activity. Using the large seismic disturbance associated with the Crandall Canyon mine collapse last August, scientists applied a method developed to detect underground nuclear weapons tests to quickly examine the seismic recordings of the event and determine whether that source was most likely from a collapse. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710145731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627175348.htm Particle colliders creating black holes that could devour the Earth. Sounds like a great Hollywood script. But, according to UC Santa Barbara Physics Professor Steve Giddings, it's pure fiction. Giddings has co-authored a paper documenting his study of the safety of microscopic black holes that might possibly be produced by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is nearing completion in Europe. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627175348.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625140636.htm Researchers have identified a signature for water inside single-walled carbon nanotubes, helping them understand how water is structured and how it moves within these tiny channels. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625140636.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616115833.htm Evaluations of the first-ever prototype positron emission tomography brain scanner that uses semiconductor detectors indicate that the scanner could advance the quality and spatial resolution of PET imaging, according to researchers. Eventually, the technology could be used to provide early-stage diagnoses of other cancers, neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease; assess patients' responses to therapies; and determine the efficacy of new drugs. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616115833.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609103340.htm Networks for radiological monitoring are designed to monitor radioactivity levels in the environment and detect possible incidents. A new scientific methodology distinguishes between natural radioactivity and radiological incidents caused externally. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609103340.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521131528.htm Scientists have spent 70 years trying to predict the properties of nuclei, but have had to settle for approximate models because computational techniques were not equal to the task. Scientists at U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have learned to compute what happens when nuclei collide. Thu, 22 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521131528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508132406.htm Australia is uniquely endowed with heat-producing elements under its surface that could provide potentially unlimited amounts of geothermal power for this country, say geoscientists. West of the line between Cairns and the mouth of the Murray River lies a belt of rocks containing the enriched elements uranium, thorium, and potassium that are around 1.5 billion years old. These enriched elements are essentially a heat source located in the upper part of the continental crust. Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508132406.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508164631.htm Designer labels have a lot of cachet -- a principle that's equally true in fashion and physics. The future of nuclear physics is in designer isotopes -- the relatively new power scientists have to make specific rare isotopes to solve scientific problems and open doors to new technologies, according to some physicists. Fri, 09 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508164631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417173953.htm It is easy to overlook that most of the energy we consume daily, such as electricity or natural gas, is produced with the help of a dwindling resource -- fresh water. Scientists are researching the water-efficiency of some of the most common energy sources and power generating methods. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417173953.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421123231.htm Rising energy and environmental costs may prevent nuclear power from being a sustainable alternative energy source in the fight against global warming, according to a new study. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421123231.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080418141246.htm A new computer simulation reveals a self-healing behavior that repairs radiation-induced damage in yttria-stabilized zirconia, indicating that the engineered ceramic may be suitable for use in development of radiation-resistant materials for nuclear power plants and nuclear waste storage. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080418141246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417152019.htm For almost half a century, scientists have struggled with plutonium nanoclusters spreading further in groundwater than expected, increasing the risk of sickness in humans and animals. Scientists were able to finally discover and study the structure of plutonium nanoclusters. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417152019.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417105453.htm Newly published data from the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, the Soviet Union's primary nuclear weapons testing ground during the Cold War, can help today's atomic detectives fine-tune their monitoring of nuclear explosions around the world, according to new research. The treasure trove of data from Semipalatinsk are especially important in light of the fact that only three nuclear tests -- back-to-back tests in India and Pakistan in 1998 and a 2006 test in North Korea -- have been conducted since the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1996. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417105453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414115101.htm Advanced gas reactors offer more efficient operation, less waste disposal and other benefits over water-cooled reactor designs used in U.S. nuclear power plants. But creating fuel that burns efficiently and reliably in the higher temperatures of advanced gas reactors has been a challenge -- until now. Fuel fabricated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in cooperation with Idaho National Laboratory and the Babcock & Wilcox Company, has demonstrated the most successful performance ever for U.S. advanced gas reactor fuel. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414115101.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408085449.htm The Texas Petawatt laser reached greater than one petawatt of laser power on Monday morning, March 31, making it the highest powered laser in the world. When the laser is turned on, it has the power output of more than 2,000 times the output of all power plants in the United States. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408085449.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408144812.htm Escalating oil and gas prices along with the global challenge of climate change has in the past few years spurred a generation of scientists to pursue alternative energy sources while redirecting the focus away from fossil fuels. What is the current status, limitations and future challenges of alternative energy sources? Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408144812.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330220036.htm Physicists have, for the first time ever, successfully compressed an unstable nucleus, Nickel 56. This nucleus is not found on Earth but is present when a star explodes at the end of its life (supernova). This breakthrough opens up the possibility of compressing several hundred exotic nuclei, which have, until now, been inaccessible because of their instability. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330220036.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312134132.htm With a proposed fiscal year 2009 budget of $20 million, the effort by the Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partners to develop grid-appropriate reactors is gaining steam. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312134132.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328094140.htm A new physics discovery explores why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe. The paper reveals that investigation into the process of B-meson decays has given insight into why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe. Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328094140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311110638.htm One of the great ongoing challenges of astrophysics, to find out how stars evolve and die, is to be tackled in an ambitious European research program. This will involve studying in the laboratory over 25 critical nuclear reactions using low-energy stable beams of ions, in order to understand stellar evolution. Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311110638.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320191308.htm A ground state atomic nucleus can be something of a black box, masking subtle details about its structure behind the aggregate interplay of its protons and neutrons. This is one reason nuclear scientists are so keenly interested in isomers -- relatively long-lived excited-state nuclei that more easily give up their structural secrets to experimentalists. Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320191308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313091522.htm International inspectors may have a new tool in the form of an antineutrino detector, that could help them peer inside a working nuclear reactor. Scientists recently demonstrated that the operational status and thermal power of reactors can be quickly and precisely monitored over hour-to month-time scales, using a cubic-meter-scale antineutrino detector. The detector could be used to determine the operational amount of plutonium or uranium necessary to run the reactor and place a direct constraint on the amount of fissile material the reactor creates throughout its lifecycle. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313091522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310143531.htm The research to improve the performance of coated-particle nuclear fuel met an important milestone by reaching a burnup of 9 percent without any fuel failure. The research is key in supporting reactor licensing and operation for high-temperature reactors such as the Next Generation Nuclear Plant and similar reactors envisioned for subsequent commercial energy production. Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310143531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310094352.htm The Federal Government may need at least 20 years longer than previously planned -- and an additional $50 billion -- to clean up radioactive and hazardous wastes at nuclear weapons sites, according to a new article. Clean-up costs may reach $305 billion at about 25 sites where nuclear weapons materials were manufactured. Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310094352.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304100413.htm Nuclear energy must increase by more than 10% each year from 2010 to 2050 to meet all future energy demands and replace fossil fuels, but this is an unsustainable prospect. According to a new report such a large growth rate will require a major improvement in nuclear power efficiency otherwise each new power plant will simply cannibalize the energy produced by earlier nuclear power plants. Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304100413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303190649.htm Nuclear power has advantages, but, if this method of making power is to be viable long term, discovering new solutions to radioactive waste disposal and other problems are critical. Chemists are now focusing on metal sulfide materials as a possible source for nuclear waste remediation methods. The new material is extremely successful in removing strontium from a sodium-heavy solution, which has concentrations similar to those in real liquid nuclear waste. Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303190649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229094729.htm Scientists have identified for the first time two distinctly different types of electromagnetic configurations in inertial confinement fusion implosions that have substantial effects on implosion dynamics and diagnosis. Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229094729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080216142207.htm The first question asked after an atomic explosion in the US (or elsewhere) would be, "Who did this to us?" But the US ability to answer that question rapidly has faded since the end of the Cold War. A former director of the nuclear weapons laboratory in Livermore, California says a rejuvenated nuclear forensics program is urgently needed. Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080216142207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215151157.htm A panel of maverick thinkers, convened by the National Academy of Engineering, has identified what they consider to be the greatest technological research challenges facing society in the coming century. Panel member Rob Socolow of Princeton University expands upon the NAE Grand Challenges project and the role that technological innovation plays in a vibrant society. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215151157.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211131357.htm Arsenic poisoning did not kill Napoleon in Saint Helena, as affirmed by a new meticulous examination. The examination produced some surprising results. There were no significant differences in arsenic levels between when Napoleon was a boy and during his final days in Saint Helena. Another surprising finding was that the level of arsenic in all of the hair samples from 200 years ago is 100 times greater than the average level detected in samples from persons living today. At the beginning of the 19th people evidently ingested arsenic that was present in the environment in quantities that are currently considered as dangerous. Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211131357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205201555.htm The most neutron-rich matter that can be made on Earth--the nucleus of the helium-8 atom--has been created, trapped and characterized by researchers. This new measurement gives rise to several significant consequences in nuclear theory and the study of neutron stars. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205201555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124141407.htm Cells know that size matters, especially when it comes to the nucleus. In the early 1900s, German scientists first proposed that the size of a nucleus is always proportional to the size of its cell. Now, more than a century later, researchers show that an active mechanism controls this process. This mechanism, however, doesn't reside within the nucleus as many once thought, but instead comes from the cell's cytoplasm. Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124141407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129201238.htm Using the radiocarbon dating method and special proteins in the lens of the eye, researchers can now establish, with relatively high precision, when a person was born. This provides a useful tool for forensic scientists who can use it to establish the date of birth of an unidentified body and could also have further consequences for health science research. Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129201238.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124140140.htm A cell's membrane-bound nucleus contains precious contents -- its DNA -- so it must be very careful about what enters and leaves this important space. To do this, it uses hundreds to thousands of nuclear pores as its gatekeepers, selective membrane channels that are responsible for regulating the material that goes to and from a cell's DNA and the signals that tell a cell what to do and how to do it. But the structure of each of these nuclear pores is so large, and so flexible, that it couldn't be visualized in detail using existing methods. Now scientists have nailed down the first complete molecular picture of this huge, 450-protein pore and their findings provide a glimpse into how the nucleus itself first evolved. Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124140140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124142011.htm Everything that goes in and out of a cell's nucleus must pass through one of its nuclear pores. In the second nuclear pore study to come out of Rockefeller University in as many months, researchers have determined the crystal structure of one of the pore's main components and used it to propose an overall structure for the circular pore, rings of alternating protein complexes that fit together like two sides of a zipper. Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124142011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080122154415.htm Researchers are working with the state of Indiana to develop a system that would use a network of cell phones to detect and track radiation to help prevent terrorist attacks with radiological "dirty bombs" and nuclear weapons. Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080122154415.htm