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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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No impact from Savannah River radioactive wasps
The news is abuzz with recent news stories about four radioactive wasp nests found at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The site has been undergoing cleanup operations since the 1990s related to the production of plutonium and tritium for defense purposes during the Cold War. Cleanup activities are expected to continue into the 2060s.
L. P. Geraldo, L. A. Vinhas, M. T. F. Cesar
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 89 | Number 2 | February 1985 | Pages 150-158
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE85-A18189
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The photodisintegration of 237Np has been studied using monochromatic photons produced by thermal neutron capture in several materials. The partial cross sections σγ, f and σγ, n were measured in the energy interval from 5.43 to 10.83 MeV. Analyzing the photofission data according to the liquid drop model, the height (Ef) and the curvature (ℏω) of the simple fission barrier were determined: Ef = (5.9 ± 0.2) MeV and ℏ;ω = (0.8 ± 0.4) MeV. For the competition between photoneutron emission and fission (Γn/Γf), a constant value was found (1.28 ± 0.15) in the 6.73- to 10.83-MeV energy range. From this result the following nuclear temperatures for 237Np were extracted on bases of some models of level density: T = 0.84 ± 0.06 MeV (Fujimoto-Yamaguchi model) and T = 0.60 ± 0.04 MeV (constant nuclear temperature model).