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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.
Cheng-Wei Wu, Douglass L. Henderson, Edgar F. Bennett
Nuclear Technology | Volume 108 | Number 2 | November 1994 | Pages 235-255
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A35032
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An innovative liquid-metal reactor, the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR), is being developed at Argonne National Laboratory. One characteristic of the IFR is the fuel cycle closure. Fissile material bred and fissionable material produced in the reactor are recycled back into the reactor. Waste generated during fuel reprocessing will be packaged into special waste canisters and will be shipped to a repository for final disposal. Prior to its removal from the facility, a measurement of the fissile content will be necessary as a part of an overall fissile material inventory accountability system. A particular form of nondestructive assay called delayed neutron nondestructive assay (DNNDA) is being developed to assist in the establishment of an accountability system. A preliminary neutronics investigation for the current DNNDA has been made to assist and verify the characteristics of the design from a neutronic aspect. A 1011 n/s, 14-MeV neutron source would provide adequate counting statistics for fissile material at the milligram to gram level.