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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.
Ahmet Bozkurt, Nicholas Tsoulfanidis
Nuclear Technology | Volume 116 | Number 2 | November 1996 | Pages 257-260
Technical Note | Radiation Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35305
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
When the gamma dose rate around an irradiated nuclear reactor fuel element is calculated, it is important to know the attenuating characteristics of the fuel element itself one of them being the buildup factor. Exposure buildup factors of uranium dioxide (UO2) for ten gamma-ray energies (0.050 to 10.0 MeV) have been computed for ten material thicknesses (0.5 to 10.0 mean free paths) using the MCNP code. The accuracy of the MCNP model was checked by computing the buildup factors of oxygen and uranium and comparing these results with the data given in the literature for these elements. The results indicate that the UO2 exposure buildup factors, for the energies and distances studied, are close to those of uranium.