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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.
Keehoon Kim, Eric B. Bartlett
Nuclear Technology | Volume 108 | Number 2 | November 1994 | Pages 283-297
Technical Paper | Reactor Control | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A35035
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The objective of this research is to develop a fault-diagnostic advisor for nuclear power plant transients that is based on artificial neural networks. A method is described that provides an error bound and therefore a figure of merit for the diagnosis provided by this advisor. The data used in the development of the advisor contain ten simulated anomalies for the San Onofre Nuclear Power Generating Station. The stacked generalization approach is used with two different partitioning schemes. The results of these partitioning schemes are compared. It is shown that the advisor is capable of recognizing all ten anomalies while providing estimated error bounds on each of its diagnoses.