Nuclear Fusion relates to nuclear power. So let us start with the process involved for getting nuclear power. There are, mainly, two processes involved: 1) Nuclear Fission Most of the present day nuclear power plants use this process to get power. This process uses a conventional method of splitting one atom into two. Here high-energy neutrons split heavy atoms of uranium. This results in release of huge amount of energy. However, this also releases large radioactive wastes and high radiation waves, which remain for long period. To avoid such leakages Read More

A nuclear bomb uses a nuclear reaction to generate energy (heat and radiated particles). The energy released is millions or in some cases billions of time stronger than TNT; the whole process is carried out in a very short time, providing huge destructive power. There are two types of nuclear reactions, fission and fusion. During fission the nucleus are broken apart and in fusion, they collapse one toward the other. Extremely heavy elements as uranium and plutonium are used in fission bombs and hydrogen (the lightest element) is used for Read More

Most particle detectors are used in applied particle physics, nuclear physics, and nuclear engineering. Most particle detectors measure the momentum, spin, charge, etc. of high energy particles. This is integral to the study of the particles, their sources, and any observable actions. Particle detectors can be very large and can produce a wide range of results depending on their main mode of application. Very large particle detectors, such as the Compact Muon Solenoid, is a general purpose detector that is used with the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator that Read More

The Nuclear Time Unit (NTU) measures how much time it takes for a light ray traveling in a vacuum to travel the diameter of a hydrogen atom. In order to calculate a single NTU, divide the diameter of a hydrogen atom (approximately 1.06 x 10^-10 meters by the speed of light in a vacuum or free space (3 x 10^8 m/sec) which is 3.53 x 10 ^ -19 sec. What is the Atomic Clock? The atomic clock is known as the most accurate in the world. It uses electronic transition Read More

Cold fusion refers to fusion reactions that occur at room temperature under normal pressure, using ordinary, simple devices. Fusion Fusion happens when two atomic nuclei come together to form a new, heavier nuclei. This is not easily accomplished because of a basic scientific principle: oppositely charged particles attract while similarly-charged particles repel each other. Since atomic nuclei (as in hydrogen protons) are similar-charged particles, their natural tendency is to repel each other and thus prevent fusion reaction. Scientists have discovered, however, that this natural repelling action turns into a powerful Read More

Radioactivity is caused when an atom, for whatever reason, wants to give away some of its energy. It does this because it wants to shift from an unstable configuration to a more stable configuration. The energy that is released when the atom makes this shift is known as radioactivity. In other words, radioactivity is the act in which an atom releases radiation suddenly and spontaneously. What are the Types of Radioactivity? There are four specific types of radioactivity. In three of the four instances, there is some sort of a Read More

The shielding effect refers to an atomic phenomenon that causes electrons further out from an atom’s nucleus to experience less attraction than electrons closer to the nucleus due to the effects of other electrons. Because of this, atoms tend to align their electrons in order of attraction, with the electrons that experience the most attraction closer to the nucleus and electrons that experience the least attraction further from the nucleus.   How the Shielding Effect Works An atom consists of a nucleus that is made up of a cluster of Read More

Interferometry is a series of techniques that uses a series of superimposed electromagnetic waves to extract data and other insights regarding the waves. The device used to measure the waves is an interferometer. Interferometry is primarily used in the fields of fiber optics, engineering metrology, optical metrology, seismology, oceanography, astronomy, particle and nuclear physics, quantum mechanics, bio-molecular interactions, and remote sensing. How does Interferometry Work? Interferometry provides a high resolution depiction of the spatial relationships for specified wavelengths. Two or more radio antenna that a known distance separates collect electromagnetic Read More

A geiger counter is a device that detects (esp. nuclear) radiation by conducting electricity when an ionized particle is present. While geiger counters are not the only devices that detect radiation, they are the most preferred option worldwide due to their portability and low cost. Geiger counters are most often used after environmental and industrial catastrophes that result in some form of radiation leaking into the atmosphere, a water supply, or the ground. How Geiger Counters Work Geiger counters consist of a tube filled with an inert gas such as Read More

The Large Hadron Collider, abbreviated as LHC, is an energy particle accelerator or collider instrument. It is the world’s biggest instrument used by scientists to study and examine the smallest identified particles; which are the primary building blocks of everything. The Large Hadron Collider is a worldwide project with UK playing the major part. This project will transform humans understanding about the microscopic world packed with atoms, the elementary laws of physics and the darkest secrets of the Universe. Large Hadron Collider was designed for a purpose of having a Read More