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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.
George A. Miller, Jr., Nolan E. Hertel, Bernard W. Wehring, John L. Horton
Nuclear Technology | Volume 103 | Number 3 | September 1993 | Pages 320-331
Technical Paper | Radiation Biology and Medicine | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34855
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A computer study of the dose distribution for gadolinium neutron capture therapy is carried out to determine its feasibility. Gadolinium is a potential neutron capture therapy (NCT) agent that produces gamma radiation, conversion electrons, and Auger electrons. The dose distribution from neutrons, neutron-induced gammas, and the reaction products from neutron capture in gadolinium were modeled using the Los Alamos National Laboratory Monte Carlo neutron photon computer code. The results of these calculations are that gadolinium has promise as an NCT agent. Using two parallel opposed epithermal neutron beams for a tumor at an 8.0-cm depth with a gadolinium loading of 100 µg/g, the tumor to peak normal tissue dose was determined to be 1.48.