Repurposing surplus plutonium as reactor fuel could cut costs, ease the advanced nuclear fuel bottleneck, and offer a more permanent nonproliferation solution than dilute and dispose. America has some ...

A newly released report from the Union of Concerned Scientists argues for reusing existing nuclear weapon cores from ...

As it was said (and sang) in 1979, plutonium is forever…with thousands of years of radioactivity from nuclear fission (especially plutonium 239). Jeff Bezos—proving again that he is not ...

the second stage is more concerned with plutonium fission. When a Pu-239 nucleus captures a neutron, it has a 27-38% chance of becoming Pu-240 instead of undergoing fission. It is thus present in ...

Subtle quantum effects within atomic nuclei can dramatically affect how some nuclei break apart. By studying 100 isotopes ...

Rising prices aren't just coming for eggs and avocados. The estimated price tag for the country's nuclear forces is 25% more than it was in 2023, according to a new Congressional Budget Office report.

Plutonium pits are hollow spheres that cause the nuclear explosion of these deadly weapons. Usually, a chemical explosion will compress the pit, triggering a fission reaction within the plutonium.

But the dangerous treasure—”fission products” from plutonium manufacture—may some day revolutionize many branches of industry. Last week Stanford Research Institute issued a weighty report ...