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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.
Erhard A. Fischer
Nuclear Technology | Volume 98 | Number 1 | April 1992 | Pages 100-112
Technical Paper | Fast Reactor Safety / Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34654
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A bubble dynamics and mass transfer model GASBUB is presented that describes the pressure buildup in irradiated fuel above the melting point during energetic transients. The model describes the evaporation of fuel into pure vapor bubbles and into fission gasfilled bubbles. It is tested against the effective equation of state (EEOS) experiments jointly carried out by Sandia National Laboratories and Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe. In these experiments, fuel samples are heated up to ∼8000K. The model provides a basis for constructing an EEOS for irradiated fuel.