ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Apr 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2024
Nuclear Technology
May 2024
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Commercial nuclear innovation "new space" age
In early 2006, a start-up company launched a small rocket from a tiny island in the Pacific. It exploded, showering the island with debris. A year later, a second launch attempt sent a rocket to space but failed to make orbit, burning up in the atmosphere. Another year brought a third attempt—and a third failure. The following month, in September 2008, the company used the last of its funds to launch a fourth rocket. It reached orbit, making history as the first privately funded liquid-fueled rocket to do so.
Zhonglu Wang, Rebecca M. Howell, Stephen F. Kry, Eric A. Burgett, Nolan E. Hertel, Mohammad Salehpour
Nuclear Technology | Volume 168 | Number 3 | December 2009 | Pages 603-609
Neutron Measurements | Special Issue on the 11th International Conference on Radiation Shielding and the 15th Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division (PART 3) / Radiation Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT09-A9276
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A gold-and-indium dual-activation-foil-based Bonner sphere system (BSS) for neutron spectral measurements was investigated. A customized polyethylene holder was designed to simultaneously accommodate one indium foil and one gold foil placed orthogonally to each other. The holder, which fits into the center of a Bonner sphere, resembles a standard 6LiI(Eu) detector. The response of the dual-activation-foil-based system was calculated using the MCNPX code with different activation cross-section libraries (ACTL and ENDF/VI for gold foils and ACTL and 532DOS2 for indium foils). To verify and correct the calculated response functions, measurements were performed using 252Cf and AmBe neutron sources of known strengths. Working response functions were determined for neutrons with energies ranging from thermal to 20 MeV by applying correction factors from measurements in well-characterized beams to the Monte Carlo-calculated response functions. Measured data were successfully unfolded with the corrected response functions and found to be in good agreement with the known spectra.