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 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Apr 2026
Jan 2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
March 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2026
Latest News
NS Savannah open house for National Maritime Day
On Sunday, May 17, in Baltimore, Md., there will be an open house on the NS Savannah to commemorate National Maritime Day. The Savannah acted as a passenger and cargo ship from 1962 to 1970, serving as a floating ambassador for President Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace program and, more broadly, for the safe and peaceful uses of nuclear power.
Nicolas P. Martin, Andrew J. Bascom, Jason V. Brookman, Nicolas E. Woolstenhulme
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 200 | Number 1 | January 2026 | Pages 39-57
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2024.2387967
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper details the conceptual design of a thermal–to–14-MeV neutron converter consisting of a mixture of lithium and deuterium in a blanket material. Such a device operates a two-step reaction, first generating tritons via thermal neutron absorption in the tritium breeding material, and in the second step, high-energy neutrons are produced either via deuterium-tritium fusion reaction or with tritium reacting with lithium. A thermal–to–14-MeV neutron converter significantly hardens the neutron spectrum by virtually removing thermal neutrons and adding a high-energy, 14-MeV component to the neutron spectrum. While similar concepts have been previously proposed and tested in other reactors, the unique characteristics of the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), namely, its important thermal flux (up to n∙cm∙s), make it markedly attractive for obtaining a very large fast neutron flux, usable for irradiation studies under neutron flux conditions prototypical of fusion reactors. The paper provides a description of a new computational scheme developed for handling the coupled neutron-triton transport mechanism using the Geometry and Tracking version 4 (Geant4) toolkit. Resulting neutron spectra and high-energy neutron yields are summarized for different irradiation positions and potential neutron breeder materials. Maximum predicted thermal–to–14-MeV neutron yields are on the order of 2 × 10–4, which is consistent with previous studies found in the literature. Thus, when placed inside the ATR, such a neutron converter will be providing the largest high-energy neutron source available for activation and irradiation studies of materials foreseen for use in fusion reactors. Future steps will involve qualifying the computational scheme using the ATR critical facility using activation foil measurements.