Nuclear Definition and 997 Threads

Why are nuclear plants operate in a secondary steam engine for electrical conversion from nuclear energy, wherein thermal efficiency is less 30% in comparison to direct conversion which should be higher than30%? Is it not possible that nuclear reaction can produce direct electricity?

If it does, why is that so?

I am familiar with the proton:neutron ratio and stability but what about this instability actually causes a quark to emit a boson and change flavour? And what does this have to do with the weak nuclear force? Thanks

I was wondering if you could use a very strong magnetic field to produce nuclear fusion. The basic idea is a spherical cavity containing Deuterium (and possibly tritium) nuclei whose walls will be electromagnets whose fields slowly increase in strength and will repel the nuclei and thus the ball...

Two weeks ago a study claiming a Fukushima thyroid-cancer epidemic made headline news. The epidemic is being associated with the nuclear disaster. However, the study may be seriously flawed. Here are two informed critiques (please post more if found)...

Hey guys, I'm working on a homework problem about nuclear fusion in stars and am..stuck on the first step: calculating the temperature needed for protons to come within 2 fm of one another and overcome Coulomb repulsion. 1. Homework Statement Given that the protons have an average kinetic...

Despite the similar nature of charges,protons remain inside the nuclear dimension.why?

There is confusion in my mind regarding Weak forces

I got this off ebay for $55. This is one that was used at the Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania. It measures in mR and has both a rate and dose alarm that can be set for a custom amount. Uses one 9v battery. Not really sure what I can use it for, but I was thinking about...

Hi, I am currently pursuing my masters in Nuclear Engineering and my graduation is in Instrumentation Engineering. I am interested in Nuclear Instrumentation and Control engineering and currently I have taken coursework also regarding the same. Could you please suggest me universities where...

I was recently taught the concept of nuclear forces in school.According to what was taught,nuclear forces were introduced to explain the stability of the nucleus.So,my question is that,can't we say that the nucleus is stable only due to neutron-proton and proton-proton interactions?Why are...

Homework Statement What are the partial half of 22Na for decay by a)Ec b) β+ emission Homework Equations λ=ln2/T1/2 The Attempt at a Solution this what I do T1/2 =2.602 Yr λ=ln2/2.602 λ=0.266 yr-1what is the difference between a)Ec b) β+ emission there is no Percentage of each decay type.!

I am interested in nuclear reactors for space propulsion. I have a few questions about it. Nuclear fuel cells in ground based nuclear power plants can work for years before burning out. Why is it for nuclear space reactors they only last for hours? Also how can we improve the proportion of the...

Homework Statement I've attached the question I'm having trouble with. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I got an answer of 1.70375 * 10^-3 for the binding energy of a nucleus of uranium 235. For the third part, "When a uranium-235 nucleus undergoes fission..." I read the value of...

Hello everyone, I'm looking for a senior design project idea that incorporates nuclear science/engineering with the technology used in renewable energy engineering. My partner and I have found the idea of betavoltaics but doubt we'd have the required beta sources available in our labs. The...

Homework Statement Two quarks of the same mass m, interact via the confining potential V=kr -Use the Bohr model to find V,R,E of the bound system -Determine the angular frequency of the emitted radiation by transition from n => w (??) -For mc^2 = 2 Gev and K = .5GeV per ?? what are the values...

I sincerely hope that the LHC people are measuring the real thing and not a leak of uranium somewhere. This is the plot of nuclear yields for spontaneous fission, extracted from wikipedia. The horizontal axis is atomic mass number and we can use 1 amu = 931.49 GeV. Some of you can remember that...

I was wondering if protons exchange strong nuclear interaction/force with other protons or do protons exchange strong nuclear interaction/force with just neutrons OR do all protons and neutrons exchange strong nuclear interaction/force with all protons and neutrons. Protons exchanging strong...

I finished my bachelors in electronics and communication in 2014 from India. Since then I have worked as an Application Engineer in the VLSI domain at a reputed company. I would like to transition to Nuclear Fusion Physics. I am planning to give my Physics GRE in October 2015. Some background...

I'm currently a Nuclear engineering student in the US. I'm at the point where I need to begin doing research and am torn between the radiation health side of things and the energy side. I honestly love both so I came here to ask a few questions to help determine my research choice. Also I know...

I am trying to grasp the basics of Nuclear weapons and how they work, I understand the fission and fusion principles, but I am struggling with a basic question...Radiation. I am by no means a physicist nor an educated chap so please go easy on me. If it takes a tiny amount of Plutonium or...

My physics SATII book states that this is not an example of nuclear fusion: 4/2 He + 27/13 Al ⇒30/15 P +1/0 n If this isn't fusion then what is it? (The top number of the division is the mass; the bottom is the atomic number)

I am a sophomore (2nd year) at Idaho State University and am considering doing a minor in either Physics or Math, but I have not decided. I received a 3.55 GPA my first year. I want to attend graduate school after my B.A. and eventually pursue a P.h.D. I am interested in nuclear power in...

Approximately, what is the total mass of these materials that is contained in a "typical" Gen III or III+ PWR (e.g., EPR, AP1000...)? 1/ Zr alloy (fuel cladding and other assembly components)? 2/ Ag-In-Cd alloy (control rods)? 3/ Gd (burnable neutron absorber)? 4/ Ni-based alloys? 5/ Stainless...

So nuclear experts out there tell me does this deal make it very difficult for Iran to make the bomb?

I am currently studying in msc applied physics ..now from here I want to make my career as j.r.f or r.a. in institute like d.r.d.o , prl ahmedabad. If I clear the exam like ugc net jrf then does it mean that I am equally eligible for certain post as compared to pure physics students in real life...

What do you know and think about the state of power in general in the United States (for example the coal industry)? What do you know and think about the state of nuclear power in the United States? Do you think there should be more or less support for it and why? How dangerous is a nuclear...

When experimenting with fusion, why do we always go so big and make extremely expensive reactors that take years to create and even construct facilities for? I've seen some failed attempts at making fusion happen in carbon nanotubes, failing in the sense that the carbon nanotubes are just...

I am quoting from wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endomembrane_system "In eukaryotes the organelles of the endomembrane system include: the nuclear membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, vesicles, endosomes and the cell membrane." From this question arises...

Let's say we have a transition from ##J^P = \dfrac{1}{2}^+## to something like ##J^P = \dfrac{5}{2}^+##. It radiates a photon with some energy ##E_\gamma##. How does one know the parity of said photon? How does conservation of parity work here?

(I have searched the forums, but I could not find a very similar discussion to this.) I am just starting my B.S. in Physics, and I am very excited! My end goal is to get a degree in Medical Physics, but I just started brainstorming and researching other options. Is a conventional B.S. in...

Schrödinger equation for N-particles is: U_{System Potential Energy}(r_1,r_2,r_3,...,r_n,t)-\sum_{n=1}^{n_{max}}(\sum_{d=0}^{d_{max}}(\frac{d^2Ψ(r_1,r_2,r_3,...,r_n,t)}{dx_n^2})*\frac{ħ^2}{m_n})=i*ħ \frac{dΨ(r_1,r_2,r_3,...,r_n,t)}{dt} Where \sum_{d=0}^{d_{max}} is summation over dimensions...

Greetings I am not a physicist myself, so please forgive me, if my question/proposition will sound naif. I noticed some articles about accelerating electrons using laser and glass gratings: http://phys.org/news/2013-09-chip.html http://phys.org/news/2013-10-particles-compact-particle.html I...

Are there any good Nuclear control simulators, that can simulate the feel of the controls, and simulate the response from the reactor?

There are a lot of nuclear power plants around the world that have smoke stacks, the kind you'd usually see at a coal fired power plant. Are they to release steam in an emergency, or are they some kind of exhaust system the plant uses, or something else? Most nuclear power plants in America have...

is it possible to create a bike involving nuclear fission and fusion . by using any nuclear reactant.

Hi There! i am little bit confused in between existence of strong and weak nuclear force, can someone please explain about these forces and about their existence

Homework Statement Homework Equations [/B]The Attempt at a Solution

Homework Statement A singly ionized atom exhibits hyperfine structure in a ##^3P_1 \rightarrow ^3S_1## transition. Assuming ##I## is greater than ##J## and given that the ##^3S_1## levels are split by ##66~GHz## and ##54~GHz##, find the nuclear spin ##I##. Homework Equations E_{HFS} =...

Hi, I am currently trying to decide between a master in nuclear or mechanical engineering. I did my BS in mechanical engineering. If I dicide in a MS in nuclear engineering I am planning in focusing in the development of better and safer fission reactors and later on doing a PhD in fussion. I...

According to the experimental curve of Binding Energy per nucleon vs Mass no. , we have come to know that heavier nuclei having less B.E. are fissionable. We have also learned from Neutron vs Proton curve that those nuclei having N/P>1 can show radioactivity. But my question is why not all heavy...

Dear PF Forum, I'm just wondering about P+P reaction in star. Because of its pressure, in the core of the star, hydrogens fuse to become deuterium. Its the complete reaction P + P -> D D + P -> He3 He3 + He3 -> He3 + P + P and if the star is big enough, it can undergo CNO cycle, But what if...

Hello to all of you! This is my first post on this forum, though I have visited this site many times to learn from its wealth of information and insights. A bit about me, I just finished the second year of my undergraduate career and am looking forward to beginning my upper level physics...

Does anyone know the title of this nuclear movie where the president was told to commit suicide in a graveyard with pistol in front but it was empty and nuclear detonation occurred just the same. I've been searching for it for a year and couldn't track the title. In that movie, you can see...

Hello, my name is Alexander Radchik and I have always wanted to be an atomic play boy. Given the lack of easily obtainable fissile material I have had humble myself to the theoretical use bombs for things that make sense. Regarding my query, I have 2 questions. 1) could a reusable nuclear...

Homework Statement the radius from the symmetry to center of the plasma is about 6.2 metres and the minor radius is 2 metres Homework Equations Can you guys help me to make the plasma geometry for MCNP? The Attempt at a Solution the softcode of plasma geometry

I was reading my textbook, Power Generation, Operation, and Control, third edition, and was thinking of the possibility of supplying peak load using a nuclear fission reactor. The reasoning behind my interest is that to supply the grid with nuclear energy at anywhere near 100% from nuclear you...

I just returned to college to finish my degree in Physics! My advisor and I have been talking about how by the Spring semester, I should have a general idea about which track to go in the Physics program. My options are the pure physics track or the nuclear physics track. We've gone over the...

Dear PF Forum, In previous thread, I am asking about fusion power. But there is one thing that intriguing me. This is one of the reactions that produces tritium. n + _3^6Li -> _2^4He + _1^3H + 4.8 Mev What is this reaction called? 1. Fusion? If yes, why it's called fusion? 2. Fission? 3. Other...

Can a black hole at the singularity break the strong nuclear force between two or more quarks creating a free quark? May be a dumb question but I'm no physicist.