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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.
H. N. Erten, A. Grütter, E. Rössler, H. R. von Gunten
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 79 | Number 2 | October 1981 | Pages 167-174
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE81-A27405
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The mass distribution in the reactor-neutron-induced fission of 232Th has been studied using radiochemical techniques and direct gamma-ray measurements. Absolute fission yields of the standard nuclides 99Mo and 132Te were obtained from 232Th sources irradiated in a fission counter. The yields of 36 mass chains, including three that have been measured for the first time, were determined both from measurements relative to 235U(nth,f) yields and from 232Th data alone. The peak-to-valley ratio of the mass-yield curve is found to be ∼100. The light and heavy mass peaks are centered at masses 91 and 140, respectively. The results suggest the presence of a small third peak in the valley of the mass distribution. “Best” yield values are proposed taking into account our values and those from recent compilations.