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Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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!
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Latest News
ANS designates Armour Research Foundation Reactor as Nuclear Historic Landmark
The American Nuclear Society presented the Illinois Institute of Technology with a plaque last week to officially designate the Armour Research Foundation Reactor a Nuclear Historic Landmark, following the Society’s decision to confer the status onto the reactor in September 2024.
Carl N. Klahr
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 3 | Number 3 | March 1958 | Pages 269-285
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE58-A25466
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A new method of calculating steady-state neutron distributions in moderator materials is developed using the method of stochastic processes. In this method neutron life histories are considered as stationary Markoffian time series. The probability distribution for the neutron to be in a particular point in phase space as a function of time from neutron birth is then found by solving an appropriate Fokker-Planck equation whose coefficients depend on the one-collision probability distributions. This method has important applications to calculations of flux spectra and to shielding problems involving deep neutron penetration. When simplifying approximations are made, solutions for the flux have the correct qualitative features of the Boltzmann equation solutions. Quite good quantitative agreement is obtained with the Bethe-Tonks-Hurwitz solution of the Boltzmann equation. Effects of absorption, anisotropic scattering, and a mixture of materials can also be included. By the present method the neutron flux distribution can be calculated in position, lethargy, velocity angle, and possibly other variables, for a homogeneous infinite moderating medium at both large and small distances from the source. The neutron flux spectrum from an infinite plane source in an infinite medium has been calculated, as well as the angular distribution of the neutrons. Constant cross sections and high atomic weight are assumed but it is pointed out that these restrictions can both be relaxed.