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.
Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jun 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2025
Nuclear Technology
July 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
NRC cuts fees by 50 percent for advanced reactor applicants
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced it has amended regulations for the licensing, inspection, special projects, and annual fees it will charge applicants and licensees for fiscal year 2025.
J. B. Czirr, R. L. Bramblett
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 28 | Number 1 | April 1967 | Pages 62-71
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE67-A18668
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This experiment was conducted to obtain data to be used in calculating the number of fissions produced by neutrons in bulk 239Pu as a function of neutron energy. The data provide a consistent set of group-averaged cross sections and self-shielding factors. Although self-shielding factors have been calculated from cross-section data, no previous experiments to measure the energy dependence of 239 Pu self shielding exist. A consistent set of cross sections is possible because of the wide neutron energy range over which this experiment was done. No attempt was made to determine resonance parameters, since in this experiment poor energy resolution was used to improve statistics. (Resonance parameters are, in fact, unnecessary to determine group-averaged cross sections and room-temperature self-shielding factors.) Good-geometry self-shielding factors were measured by a plutonium fission counter shielded by various thicknesses of plutonium. Average fission cross sections, total cross sections, and self-shielding factors have been determined in 11 energy groups whose end points are in the ratio of 2.15-to-1. The energy range was 2.15 eV to 10 keV. The LRL Linac neutron time-of-flight facility was used, with a neutron resolution of 0.18 μsec/m. The detector consisted of a spark chamber that was sensitive to fission fragments, facing a 0.4 mg/cm2 plutonium-239 foil. Seven Pu absorber foils ranging from 0.06 to 3 g/cm2 were used in the self-shielding measurements. This range of absorber thickness yields an adequate description of the resonance-produced surface-absorption effect throughout the above energy region.