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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Fusion Science and Technology
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Deep Space: The new frontier of radiation controls
In commercial nuclear power, there has always been a deliberate tension between the regulator and the utility owner. The regulator fundamentally exists to protect the worker, and the utility, to make a profit. It is a win-win balance.
From the U.S. nuclear industry has emerged a brilliantly successful occupational nuclear safety record—largely the result of an ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) process that has driven exposure rates down to what only a decade ago would have been considered unthinkable. In the U.S. nuclear industry, the system has accomplished an excellent, nearly seamless process that succeeds to the benefit of both employee and utility owner.
R. R. Freeman, D. Batani, S. Baton, M. Key, R. Stephens
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 49 | Number 3 | April 2006 | Pages 297-315
Technical Paper | Fast Ignition | doi.org/10.13182/FST06-A1150
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper reviews the physics of extremely high current propagation in dense materials. We consider explicitly the problem of the generation of high-current, high-particle energy propagation arising from laser ionization in otherwise neutral targets. The paper concentrates upon the recent experimental results of measurements of the distribution of the laser-generated fast electrons, both in space as well as in energy. The emphasis is primarily to put into physical context the growing number of experimental observations under widely varying conditions. Little or no effort is made to summarize the theoretical or modeling work because of manuscript size limitations; however, when possible, experimental observations are tied to relevant attempts to model the observed behavior. The fundamental conclusion is that fast electron propagation, at a current density and kinetic energy relevant to fast ignition, is far from a solved problem and that target design for fast ignition will have to play a significant role to overcome some of the emerging physical obstacles.