Author: Fission Today

A new and powerful particle detector just passed a critical test in its goal to decipher the ingredients of the early universe.The sPHENIX detector is the newest experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and is designed to precisely measure products of high-speed particle collisions. From the aftermath, scientists hope to reconstruct the properties of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) — a white-hot soup of subatomic particles known as quarks and gluons that is thought to have sprung into existence in the few microseconds following the Big Bang. Just as quickly, the mysterious plasma disappeared, cooling and combining to…

Entergy Arkansas, the utility that provides electricity to about 735,000 customers in 63 counties in that state, announced a plan to add about 2.6 GW of new power generation capacity, in part by converting old coal-fired units to burn natural gas. It also is renewing the operating license for the 1.8-GW Arkansas Nuclear One power plant, the state’s only nuclear power station, with plans to invest in new equipment that would increase the facility’s output. The new generation includes solar power and battery energy storage. The utility announced its “Next Generation Arkansas” plan on December 18, noting the strategy is…

The deadline for the Governor to sign or vetoes bills passed on September 30th. The Governor has called an extraordinary session where nine bills were introduced. So far, ABX2-1 and ABX2-9 appear to be active while the other seven may or may not move forward. These are primarily focused on oil and gas and refined fuel supply issues. This session saw major priorities sidelined, withheld, or amended because of the state of the budget. Overall, there were many issues addressed, including: -CEQA streamlining or exemption bills; – continued action on pruning the natural gas distribution system; -support for hydrogen development;…

Artificial intelligence optimization offers a host of benefits for mechanical engineers, including faster and more accurate designs and simulations, improved efficiency, reduced development costs through process automation, and enhanced predictive maintenance and quality control.“When people think about mechanical engineering, they’re thinking about basic mechanical tools like hammers and … hardware like cars, robots, cranes, but mechanical engineering is very broad,” says Faez Ahmed, the Doherty Chair in Ocean Utilization and associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. “Within mechanical engineering, machine learning, AI, and optimization are playing a big role.”In Ahmed’s course, 2.155/156 (AI and Machine Learning for Engineering Design), students use tools…

The Witness, a Greenpeace sailing vessel, while on a scientific expedition in August 2024. © Christian Åslund / Greenpeace On August 6 and 9, 1945, two atomic bombs pulverised the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the registers of both atomic bombings’ victims exceed 540,000, including those who died after suffering from the long-term effects of radiation. This number continues to grow even now. Others survived, but at the cost of illness, trauma, social exclusion, or repeated miscarriages. Their memory, embodied by the hibakusha (the term used in Japan to designate…

Evergy is proposing a rate increase for nearly 1 million Kansas customers. Say NO to Evergy’s dirty rate hikes. Kansas’ largest utility monopoly, Evergy, is proposing a rate increase for nearly 1 million Kansas customers. The proposed rate increase would be one of the largest in the company’s history, hiking Kansas Central customers’ bills by more than $170 per year. Kansas City area Metro customers will see an additional $42 per year. Say NO to Evergy’s dirty rate hikes. Say NO to Evergy’s dirty rate hikes! Kansas’ largest utility monopoly, Evergy, is proposing a rate increase for nearly 1 million Kansas…

At any given moment, trillions of particles called neutrinos are streaming through our bodies and every material in our surroundings, without noticeable effect. Smaller than electrons and lighter than photons, these ghostly entities are the most abundant particles with mass in the universe.The exact mass of a neutrino is a big unknown. The particle is so small, and interacts so rarely with matter, that it is incredibly difficult to measure. Scientists attempt to do so by harnessing nuclear reactors and massive particle accelerators to generate unstable atoms, which then decay into various byproducts including neutrinos. In this way, physicists can…

Seasons Greetings to you Neutron Bytes is taking a break for the holiday period with new posts coming in early January. In 2026 the blog will enter its 19th year of publication. Until then be safe, be healthy, and be kind to one another. Some Traditional Holiday Music – A Classic Gaudete is a sacred Christmas carol, thought to have been composed in the 16th century. It was published in “Piae Cantiones”, a collection of Finnish/Swedish sacred songs published in 1581. No music is given for the verses, but the standard tune comes from older liturgical books. The Latin text…

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George Tynan followed a nonlinear path to fusion.Following his undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering, Tynann’s work in the industry spurred his interest in rocket propulsion technology. Because most methods for propulsion involve the manipulation of hot ionized matter, or plasmas, Tynan focused his attention on plasma physics.It was then that he realized that plasmas could also drive nuclear fusion. “As a potential energy source, it could really be transformative, and the idea that I could work on something that could have that kind of impact on the future was really attractive to me,” he says.That same drive, to realize the…