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.
J. I. Katz
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 180 | Number 1 | May 2015 | Pages 117-122
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE14-81
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Deuterium-deuterium and deuterium-tritium reaction rates may be compared to determine plasma temperatures in the 10- to 200-eV range. Distinguishing neutrons from these two reactions is difficult when yields are low or unpredictable. Time-of-flight (TOF) methods fail if the source is extended in time. These neutrons may be distinguished because inelastic scattering of more energetic neutrons by carbon produces a 4.44-MeV gamma ray and because hydrogenous material preferentially attenuates lower-energy neutrons. We describe a detector system that can discriminate between lower- and higher-energy neutrons for fluences as low as O(102) neutrons per sterad even when TOF methods fail, define a figure of merit, and calculate its performance over a broad range of parameters.