Laser Isotope Separation (other)

	Laser Isotope Separation (other) Laser isotope separation, or laser enrichment, is a technology of isotope separation using selective ionization of atoms or molecules by the means of precisely tuned lasers. The techniques are: * Atomic vapor laser isotope separation (AVLIS), applied to atoms * Molecular laser isotope separation (MLIS), applied to molecules * Separation of isotopes by laser excitation (SILEX), a classified process involving uranium hexafluoride and a carrier gas. {{disambig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
picture info	Isotope Separation Isotope separation is the process of concentrating specific isotopes of a chemical element by removing other isotopes. The use of the nuclides produced is varied. The largest variety is used in research (e.g. in chemistry where atoms of "marker" nuclide are used to figure out reaction mechanisms). By tonnage, separating natural uranium into enriched uranium and depleted uranium is the largest application. In the following text, mainly the uranium enrichment is considered. This process is crucial in the manufacture of uranium fuel for nuclear power plants, and is also required for the creation of uranium-based nuclear weapons. Plutonium-based weapons use plutonium produced in a nuclear reactor, which must be operated in such a way as to produce plutonium already of suitable isotopic mix or ''grade''. While different chemical elements can be purified through chemical reaction, chemical processes, isotopes of the same element have nearly identical chemical properties, which makes this ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
picture info	Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The first laser was built in 1960 by Theodore H. Maiman at Hughes Research Laboratories, based on theoretical work by Charles Hard Townes and Arthur Leonard Schawlow. A laser differs from other sources of light in that it emits light which is ''coherent''. Spatial coherence allows a laser to be focused to a tight spot, enabling applications such as laser cutting and lithography. Spatial coherence also allows a laser beam to stay narrow over great distances (collimation), enabling applications such as laser pointers and lidar (light detection and ranging). Lasers can also have high temporal coherence, which allows them to emit light with a very narrow spectrum. Alternatively, temporal coherence can be used to produce ultrashort pulses of ligh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
picture info	Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation Atomic vapor laser isotope separation, or AVLIS, is a method by which specially tuned lasers are used to separate isotopes of uranium using selective ionization of hyperfine transitions. A similar technology, using molecules instead of atoms, is molecular laser isotope separation (MLIS). Natural uranium consists of a large mass of 238U and a much smaller mass of fissile 235U. Traditionally, the 235U is separated from the mass by dissolving it in acid to produce uranium hexafluoride and then using gas centrifuges to separate the isotopes. Each trip through the centrifuge "enriches" the amount of 235U and leaves behind depleted uranium. In contrast, AVLIS produces much higher enrichment in a single step without the need to mix it with acid. The technology could, in principle, also be used for isotope separation of other elements, which is uneconomic outside specialist applications with current non-laser-based technologies for most elements. As the process does not require the feed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Molecular Laser Isotope Separation Molecular laser isotope separation (MLIS) is a method of isotope separation, where specially tuned lasers are used to separate isotopes of uranium using selective ionization of hyperfine transitions of uranium hexafluoride molecules. It is similar to AVLIS. Its main advantage over AVLIS is low energy consumption and use of uranium hexafluoride instead of vaporized uranium. MLIS was conceived in 1971 at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. MLIS operates in cascade setup, like the gaseous diffusion process. Instead of vaporized uranium as in AVLIS the working medium of the MLIS is uranium hexafluoride which requires a much lower temperature to vaporize. The UF6 gas is mixed with a suitable carrier gas (a noble gas including some hydrogen) which allows the molecules to remain in the gaseous phase after being cooled by expansion through a supersonic de Laval nozzle. A scavenger gas (e.g. methane) is also included in the mixture to bind with the fluorine atoms after they are dissociate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]