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On moving fast and breaking things
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
So much of what is happening in federal nuclear policy these days seems driven by a common approach popularized in the technology sector. Silicon Valley calls it “move fast and break things,” a phrase originally associated with Facebook’s early culture under Mark Zuckerberg. The idea emerged in the early 2000s as software companies discovered that rapid iteration, frequent experimentation, and a willingness to tolerate failure could dramatically accelerate innovation. This philosophy helped drive the growth of the social media, smartphones, cloud computing, and digital platforms that now underpin modern economic and social life.
Today, that mindset is also influencing federal nuclear policy. The Trump administration views accelerated nuclear deployment as part of a broader competition with China for technological and AI leadership. In that context, it seems willing to accept greater operational risk in pursuit of strategic advantage and long-term economic and security objectives.
Hyun Seok Kim, Hyunsun Han, Ki Min Kim, Jwa-Soon Kim, Sang Hee Hong
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 55 | Number 2 | February 2009 | Pages 95-99
Technical Paper | Seventh International Conference on Open Magnetic Systems for Plasma Confinement | doi.org/10.13182/FST09-A6990
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A two-dimensional numerical modeling is carried out to simulate argon plasma-neutral transport in a linear divertor simulator with an axisymmetric cylindrical geometry. A pure argon plasma flow is introduced from the source region into the transport region, and pumped out near the target plate. This numerical modeling is based on a time-dependent Braginskii's fluid formulation for plasma transport and a simple diffusion model for neutral transport. The Bohm diffusion model is adopted for calculation of radial diffusion coefficients across the parallel magnetic field in the simulator. Using the design and operation parameters of the Multi-Purpose Plasma (MP2) facility at the National Fusion Research Institute (NFRI) in Korea, argon plasma properties such as density and temperature distributions are calculated, and the formation of ionization front is found in the transport region. Plasma equilibrium profiles along the near axis turn out to be actually unaffected by the pumping positions along the cylindrical wall. Moreover, a gas target divertor concept is numerically simulated to find out puffing effects as well as pumping roles. As increasing the puffing rate at the target plate, not only the ionization front in the plasma density profile is gradually moving toward the entrance region, but also plasma density and electron temperature at the target are dramatically reduced. Two relatively peaked poles in the neutral density profile are resulted from puffing and recycling neutrals, respectively.