nuclear fission
Sign in to savenuclear reaction splitting an atom into multiple parts
AI overview
Nuclear fission is a process where an atom splits apart into smaller pieces, releasing a large amount of energy in the process. This matters because fission can be controlled to generate electricity in nuclear power plants, or released suddenly in nuclear weapons, making it one of the most powerful energy sources available to humans.
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Research
4,447 papers- NUCLEAR FISSION.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 1940
- Angular momentum generation in nuclear fission.Nature · 2021
- Nuclear fission: the interplay of science and technology.Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences · 2010
- Nuclear fission revisited.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 1970
- Overproduction of a nuclear export signal in fission yeast promotes nuclear expansion through microtubules.FEBS letters · 2026
via PubMed
Article
Induced fission reaction. A neutron is absorbed by a uranium-235 nucleus, turning it briefly into an excited uranium-236 nucleus, with the excitation energy provided by the kinetic energy of the neutron plus the forces that bind the neutron. The uranium-236, in turn, splits into fast-moving lighter elements (fission products) and releases several free neutrons, one or more "prompt gamma rays" (not shown) and a (proportionally) large amount of kinetic energy.
Nuclear fission is a reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei. The fission process often produces gamma photons, and releases a very large amount of energy even by the energetic standards of radioactive decay.