ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
February 2026
Nuclear Technology
January 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Playing the “bad guy” to enhance next-generation safety
Sometimes, cops and robbers is more than just a kid’s game. At the Department of Energy’s national laboratories, researchers are channeling their inner saboteurs to discover vulnerabilities in next-generation nuclear reactors, making sure that they’re as safe as possible before they’re even constructed.
J. K. Hoffer, J. D. Sheliak, D. A. Geller, D. Schroen, P. S. Ebey
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 50 | Number 1 | July 2006 | Pages 15-32
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST06-A1217
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Solid deuterium-tritium (the symbol DT is used here to represent the equilibrium mixture of 50% deuterium and 50% tritium, having the molecular composition: 25% D2, 50% deuterium tritide molecules, and 25% T2) (DT) is nucleated from DT-wetted foam and subsequently forms a uniform layer by the beta-layering phenomenon. Compared to DT frozen on smooth metal surfaces, the surface roughness of the inner-lying pure DT solid-vapor interface is substantially lower at all modal values higher than ~10, possibly due to the small-grain-size polycrystalline nature of the solid. For thick layers, deleterious effects are observed, notably the formation of DT-rich vapor voids in the foam matrix and the subsequent propagation of these voids into the pure solid DT layer.