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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.
John R. White, Thomas F. DeLorey
Nuclear Technology | Volume 95 | Number 2 | August 1991 | Pages 129-147
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A34551
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A detailed sensitivity and uncertainty analysis is performed for several parameters of interest in the design of the high-conversion reactor (HCR) concept. The main goals of this work are to determine the response standard deviation due to basic nuclear data uncertainties and to incorporate integral experiment information from the PROTEUS facility to reduce the computed uncertainties, where possible. The results for reactivity and five important reaction rate ratios (at the 0% void state) that are part of the measurement program in the PROTEUS phase II experiments are highlighted. In addition, the void coefficient at both low void and high void is studied. The computed correlation coefficients between the PROTEUS and HCR models are uniformly high for all responses. This indicates that a reduction in uncertainty can be achieved within the measurement uncertainty and that the PROTEUS experiments were ideal for the physics characterization of HCR responses.