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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
August 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
In transition: Commercializing fusion power
Commercial fusion power is closer than ever. There are now around 30 U.S. fusion companies, several of which claim to be on track to connect to the grid as early as the 2030s.
Tokamak and laser inertial confinement approaches benefit from decades of research at facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and ITER, with alternative concepts including stellarator, magnetic mirror, and Z-pinch confinement also making notable progress as private and government funding for fusion increases.
Y. D. Harker, R. A. Anderl, G. K. Becker, L. G. Miller
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 110 | Number 4 | April 1992 | Pages 355-368
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE92-A23909
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Neutron spectrum measurements are performed on the aluminum-oxide-filtered neutron beam at the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor (BMRR). Two independent measurement techniques are used in the spectrum characterization: (a) foil activation spectrometry and (b) proton-recoil spectrometry. Activation foil assemblies are irradiated at the exit port of the beam facility. Dominant resonances in selected activation reactions are used to measure the epithermal neutron spectrum. The intermediate and fast energy ranges of the neutron spectrum are measured by threshold reactions and the 10B-filtered 235U fission reaction. Neutron spectral data are derived from the activation data by two approaches: (a) an analysis that yields neutron flux values at the energies of the dominant or primary resonances in the epithermal activation reactions and (b) an analysis that utilizes all the activation data simultaneously in a spectrum unfolding process using the FERRET data adjustment code. Hydrogen-filled proton-recoil proportional chambers are used at the beam port exit to acquire data of a higher energy resolution than that obtainable through foil activation techniques. These measurements are made to determine if structure in the aluminum scattering cross section would produce significant structure in the filtered spectrum in the fast neutron region.