arXiv · 1410.4458
Synthesis of neutron-rich transuranic nuclei in fissile spallation targets
Abstract
A possibility of synthesizing neutron-reach super-heavy elements in spallation targets of Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) is considered. A dedicated software called Nuclide Composition Dynamics (NuCoD) was developed to model the evolution of isotope composition in the targets during a long-time irradiation by intense proton and deuteron beams. Simulation results show that transuranic elements up to Bk-249 can be produced in multiple neutron capture reactions in macroscopic quantities. However, the neutron flux achievable in a spallation target is still insufficient to overcome the so-called fermium gap. Further optimization of the target design, in particular, by including moderating material and covering it by a reflector will turn ADS into an alternative source of transuranic elements in addition to nuclear fission reactors.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Igor Mishustin, Yury Malyshkin, Igor Pshenichnov, Walter Greiner. 2014-10-16. Synthesis of neutron-rich transuranic nuclei in fissile spallation targets. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2015.02.051
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.