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INL reports findings on unusual quantum behavior of plutonium
Scientists at Idaho National Laboratory have discovered that plutonium hexaboride (PuB6) displays a type of unusual quantum property called a topological Kondo insulating state. Materials with this property are neither typical electricity conductors nor regular insulators. Rather, they have exterior surfaces that strongly conduct electricity and interiors that block electricity.
Constantinos Syros,* Claudio Ronchi, Cinzia Spanó
Nuclear Technology | Volume 94 | Number 2 | May 1991 | Pages 213-227
Technical Paper | Advances in Reactor Accident Consequence Assessment / Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A34543
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A semianalytical nonlinear model is described for the calculation of the burst release and release rate of volatile fission product (VFP) from a fuel pellet under steady-state and transient reactor conditions as well as the radial density distribution in the open porosity. The density of the VFP in the porosity channels is assumed to be c(r, t) = φ(r)exp[—LT(r)ω(t)] + Λ-1(t), where L is an analytical function of parameters characterizing the physics and the geometry of the pellet; φ(r) rigorously satisfies the required boundary conditions; and ω(t), the solution of a highly nonlinear differential equation, is a time function (“kinetic time”) that represents the evolution of the density profile. The constant Λ is suitably calculated with the zeroes of the Bessel function Jo(x). The density c(r, t) of the VFP in the open porosity of the pellet is used to find the pressure p(r, t) in the open pores. The integration procedure of the transport equation for different initial and boundary conditions is described. Calculation experiments are presented and discussed.