Neutron sources

Californium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Cf and atomic number 98. It was first synthesized in 1950 at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (then the University of California Radiation Laboratory) by bombarding curium with alpha particles (helium-4 ions). It is an actinide element, the sixth transuranium element to be synthesized, and has the second-highest atomic mass of all elements that have been produced in amounts large enough to see with the naked eye (after einsteinium). It was named after the university and the U.S. state of California.

nuclear reaction splitting an atom into multiple parts

nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei combine

device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction

form of radioactive decay found in very heavy chemical elements

thumb|Spallation as a result of impact can occur with or without penetration of the impacting object.

Photodisintegration (also called phototransmutation, or a photonuclear reaction) is a nuclear process in which an atomic nucleus absorbs a high-energy gamma ray, enters an excited state, and immediately decays by emitting a subatomic particle. The incoming gamma ray effectively knocks one or more neutrons, protons, or an alpha particle out of the nucleus. The reactions are called (γ,n), (γ,p), and (γ,α), respectively.

device that emits neutrons

thumb|A homemade fusor A fusor is a device that uses an electric field to heat ions to a temperature at which they undergo nuclear fusion. The machine induces a potential difference between two metal cages, inside a vacuum. Positive ions fall down this voltage drop, building up speed. If they collide in the center, they can fuse. This is one kind of an inertial electrostatic confinement device – a branch of fusion research.

nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source

source of neutrons from linear particle accelerators

accelerator-based neutron source in Oak Ridge

nuclear fusion at very high temperatures

neutron source used in some nuclear weapons

English physics research facility

ionized gas-generating "pinch" machine

application of intense electric fields within a crystal

alt=MYRRHA Reactor vessel and its internals|thumb|upright=2|MYRRHA Reactor vessel, cutaway view The MYRRHA (Multi-purpose hYbrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications) is a design project of a nuclear reactor coupled to a proton accelerator. This makes it an accelerator-driven system (ADS). MYRRHA will be a lead-bismuth cooled fast reactor with two possible configurations: sub-critical or critical.