Crushing Plutonium for Nuclear Safety
Date | 18th, Oct 2023 |
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Source | IEEE Spectrum - Scientific and Educational Websites |
DESCRIPTION
Deep below the Nevada desert, a machine dubbed Scorpius is under construction that will use high explosives to crush plutonium to states that exist just prior to a nuclear explosion. The aim of the US $1.8 billion project is to scan this plutonium with X-rays to help check the accuracy of supercomputer models designed to predict whether the United States’ aging nuclear arsenal works.