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Conference Spotlight
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.
E. Loomis, S. R. Greenfield, S. N. Luo, R. Johnson, T. Shimada, J. Cobble, A. Seifter, D. S. Montgomery
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 55 | Number 2 | February 2009 | Pages 152-162
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST09-A4068
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Single crystals of beryllium were illuminated with nanosecond X-ray pulses generated from laser irradiated (~1.5 × 1014 W/cm2) gold targets. The characteristic gold M-band centered at 2.5 keV was measured by time-integrated transmission grating spectroscopy and a time-resolved (spectrally integrated) X-ray photodiode through beryllium targets of various thickness. Approximately decaying exponential temperature profiles were predicted to be induced in 100- and 160-m-thick single crystal targets producing nearly instant surface motion as measured by free surface velocity interferometry. This temperature profile gave rise to free surface (opposite to drive laser surface) velocity histories in a c-axis single crystal and a (10[overbar]10) single crystal in which large initial acceleration gave way to lower (ramped) acceleration due to the internal temperature gradient. A smooth rise to the peak velocity was then followed by a sharp release originating from the free surface nearest to the laser drive. Differences between the velocities in each of these regions were found between the two single crystals investigated, which were due to the thermal expansion properties as a function of direction (including plasticity). These results can be used to predict the behavior of preheated polycrystalline targets relevant to instability seeding in inertial confinement fusion ablators.
