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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.
Houlung Lee*, Edward S. Kenney
Nuclear Technology | Volume 100 | Number 1 | October 1992 | Pages 70-78
Technical Paper | Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34754
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
By introducing wide-aperture detectors, the efficiency of the conventional Compton scatter imaging technique can be greatly improved. A Monte Carlo method has been developed to investigate the imaging process of this enhanced Compton imaging technique. Using this technique, a conceptual design of a pipe inspection system has been completed. This system features the use of dual wide-aperture detectors and a photon source of two energy components. In practice, a source of more than two energy components is allowed. With this inspection system, the inner surface contours of the pipe can be reconstructed in a rather straightforward manner, and the inner surface can be fully mapped. The measured data together with the associated geometry parameters such as size and curvature will serve to provide a two- or three-dimensional contour mapping of the pipe.