| accelerator |
in nuclear physics, a device that creates high-energy particles by acceleration through electrostatic or electromagnetic means, used for research. [1/3 definitions] |
| antinuclear |
opposed to the development, deployment, or use of nuclear devices such as weapons and power plants. |
| atomic energy |
the energy that is released by an atom in nuclear reactions such as fission or fusion. [2 definitions] |
| atomic pile |
see "nuclear reactor." |
| backscatter |
the deflection, by electromagnetic or nuclear forces, of moving waves or particles away from their original direction at angles greater than ninety degrees. |
| bomb |
nuclear weapons (usu. prec. by "the"). [1/8 definitions] |
| boron carbide |
a very hard black crystalline compound used in nuclear reactor control rods, as reinforcement in structural materials, and as an abrasive. |
| breeder reactor |
a nuclear reactor that is designed to produce more fissionable material than it consumes, and thus generate additional fuel for its own operation. |
| chain reaction |
in physics, a self-sustaining reaction in which the particles produced by nuclear fission cause the fission of other nuclei. [1/3 definitions] |
| collider |
in nuclear physics, a type of accelerator in which occurs the bombardment of certain charged particles by certain others, such as electrons and positrons; colliding-beam machine. |
| containment structure |
the building in which a commercial nuclear reactor is housed. |
| control rod |
a rod or bar in a nuclear reactor that contains a neutron-absorbing material, and that is lowered into or raised from the core to control the fission chain reaction. |
| converter reactor |
a nuclear reactor that produces less, or a different kind of, fissionable material than it consumes. (Cf. breeder reactor.) |
| countermeasure |
an act or procedure designed to frustrate another act or procedure, as in nuclear warfare. |
| critical |
in physics, of a state just preceding a nuclear reaction. [1/6 definitions] |
| critical mass |
the minimum mass of fissionable material necessary to sustain a nuclear chain reaction. [1/2 definitions] |
| denuclearize |
to forbid construction, presence, or deployment of nuclear weapons within (a certain jurisdiction). |
| deterrence |
the policy of amassing sufficient offensive nuclear weapons to deter a potential enemy from attacking. [1/2 definitions] |
| Euratom |
the European Atomic Energy Community, comprised of six nations to coordinate the development and marketing of their nuclear resources. |
| fallout |
the fall of radioactive particles, or the particles themselves, that result from a nuclear explosion. [1/2 definitions] |
| fireball |
the white-hot center of a nuclear explosion. [1/4 definitions] |