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.
Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2025
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2025
Nuclear Technology
February 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Neutron Vision at Los Alamos: Exploring the Frontiers of Nuclear Materials Science
In materials science, understanding the unseen—how materials behave internally under real-world conditions—has always been key to developing new materials and accelerating innovative technologies to market. Moreover, the tools that allow us to see into this invisible world of materials have often been game-changers. Among these, neutron imaging stands out as a uniquely powerful method for investigating the internal structure and behavior of materials without having to alter or destroy the sample. By harnessing the unique properties of neutrons, researchers can uncover the hidden behavior of materials, providing insights essential for advancing nuclear materials and technologies.
Miriam A. Kreher, Samuel Shaner, Benoit Forget, Kord Smith
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 197 | Number 2 | February 2023 | Pages 279-290
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2022.2067739
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Frequency Transform method is used for the first time to efficiently model a multiple-second transient problem with Monte Carlo (MC). This is achieved by coupling MC with a time-dependent coarse mesh finite difference (TD-CMFD) diffusion solver. TD-CMFD presents a large advantage over commonly used point kinetics equations since it preserves spatial resolution during the transient and provides equivalence with the high-order method through nonlinear diffusion coefficients. As TD-CMFD computes time-dependent and spatially dependent neutronics information, it also computes frequencies that describe the rate of change of neutron and delayed precursor concentrations. These frequencies are used in MC shape function calculations as an approximation for the time derivatives. As the simulation proceeds, MC calculations update the multigroup cross sections, currents, and diffusion coefficients that are needed in TD-CMFD, and in turn, TD-CMFD updates the frequencies. Our results show the success of the Frequency Transform method in prescribed transient problems on the C5G7 geometry and on a fuel pin geometry. The Frequency Transform method showed significant improvement compared to the Adiabatic approximation, which does not use any frequency information in the MC calculation. The improvements in spatial resolution are shown to be a direct result of frequencies. Additionally, a study of how TD-CMFD’s nonlinear diffusion coefficients behave in time provides a first-of-its-kind study of how equivalence factors are impacted by transients.