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Going Nuclear: Notes from the officially unofficial book tour
I work in the analytical labs at one of Europe’s oldest and largest nuclear sites: Sellafield, in northwestern England. I spend my days at the fume hood front, pipette in one hand and radiation probe in the other (and dosimeter pinned to my chest, of course). Outside the lab, I have a second job: I moonlight as a writer and public speaker. My new popular science book—Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World—came out last summer, and it feels like my life has been running at full power ever since.
R. A. Lewis, R. Newton, G. A. Smith, R. J. Kanzleiter
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 109 | Number 4 | December 1991 | Pages 411-415
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE91-A23866
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The concept of microfission, whereby a small target of fissile material is burned under compression, was introduced nearly 20 years ago; the size of the target is limited by the magnitude of the compression and by the initial number of fissions that start the chain reaction. A burst of antiprotons at maximum compression can allow target size to be significantly reduced. Antiprotons were previously shown to be a strong source of neutrons and pions; under conditions of high density, they enable a significant reduction in burn time and, hence, target size. Possible applications are discussed, including space propulsion and intense neutron and X-ray sources.