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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.
A. A. Ivanov, D. D. Ryutov
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 106 | Number 3 | November 1990 | Pages 235-242
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE90-A29052
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A survey of plasma-type neutron sources is presented. Mirror devices are found to be most suitable for use as a neutron source because their high-β values allow a high-intensity flux of 14-MeV deuterium-tritium neutrons at a moderate plasma size. Mirror devices also have a convenient geometry for radiation tests. A conceptual design and performance of a neutron source based on the gas dynamic trap are described. Components (neutral beam injectors, tritium system, etc.) of the plasma-type neutron source are compared with those of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility. It is shown that the current level of technology is sufficient for construction of a mirror-based neutron source.