Question by ItachiElric: What process causes the neutrons to lose their energy?
In certain reactors, most of the fissions are caused by low-energy neutrons, but high-energy neutrons are produced in a fission event. What process causes the neutrons to lose their energy?
Also,
What is the source of the blue glow in an operating reactor?
Best answer:
Answer by trent0123
There are rods placed in the reactors that contain a “moderator”, something that slows the neutrons down to thermal speeds so they can interact with nuclei better. These rods can be adjusted so that the reaction rate can be controlled. Some moderators are ordinary water, graphite, beryllium, lithium. The fast neutrons are slowed by repeated collisions with the moderator nuclei.
The blue glow in water surrounding a reactor, or other highly radioactive source is called Cherenkov radiation. It is excess energy radiated as high speed charged particles like electrons pass through the water. When a charged particle tries to move through a transparent material faster than light can travel in that material, the particle must slow to a sublight speed and to do so it has to radiate away its excess energy.
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