Arbitrarily Large Neutron Amplification in Subcritical Nuclear Reactors
Arbitrarily Large Neutron Amplification in Subcritical Nuclear Reactors
In a subcritical reactor, each neutron produces only keff < 1 neutron per generation (asymptotically and on average), and thus the neutron population decreases exponentially in the absence of external source. The chain reaction is thus easy to stop, making such reactors inherently stable. Interestingly, and contrary to common wisdom, …