--%>

Why is heavy water employed as a moderator

Describe why is heavy water employed as a moderator? Illustrate.

E

Expert

Verified

Heavy water is highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium. We can evaluate the neutron interactions with billiard ball collision, where the neutron collides with nucleus of other atoms and lose energy. When the colliding nucleus size is small such as hydrogen nucleus it will lose the maximum energy. When nucleus is heavy, then the neutron hits the nucleus just alters its direction however not that much change in the energy of neutron. Therefore we use heavy water as moderator to slow down the neutrons.

   Related Questions in Physics

  • Q : Define Parsec Parsec : The unit of

    Parsec: The unit of distance stated as the distance pointed by an Earth-orbit parallax of 1 arcsec. It equals around 206 264 au, or about 3.086 x 1016 m

  • Q : Possibility to obtain the electron Is

    Is it possible to obtain the electron (or come out) from the nucleus?

  • Q : What is Edwards-Casimir quantum vacuum

    What is Edwards-Casimir quantum vacuum drive: The hypothetical drive developing the peculiarities of quantum mechanics by restricting permitting wavelengths of the virtual photons on one side of the drive (that is the bow of the ship); the pressure pr

  • Q : Kirchhoffs rules or Loop rule or Point

    Explain Kirchhoff's rules or Kirchhoff's Loop rule and Point rule? Kirchhoff's rules (G.R. Kirchhoff) <

  • Q : Define Ohm or SI unit of electric

    Ohm: Omega: O (after G. Ohm, 1787-1854) The derived SI unit of electric resistance, stated as the resistance among two points on a conductor whenever a constant potential difference of 1 V generates a current of 1 A in the conductor;

  • Q : Explain Bohr magneton and Bohr radius

    Bohr magneton (N. Bohr) - This is the quantum of magnetic moment. Bohr radius (N. Bohr) - The distance equivalent to the mean distance of an electron from the nucleus in the ground state of hydroge

  • Q : Procedure to define the Specific Gravity

    Briefly explain the procedure to define the Specific Gravity?

  • Q : Magnetism what's the unit of Curie

    what's the unit of Curie constant and how to calculate Bohr magneton from the plot of 1/Khi vs Temperature(K)?

  • Q : Scanning electron and transmission

    Give one benefit of a scanning electron microscope over the transmission electron microscope? Briefly explain it.

  • Q : Explain Rayleigh-Jeans law

    Rayleigh-Jeans law: For a blackbody at the thermodynamic temperature T, the radiance R over a range of frequencies between the nu and nu + dnu is specified by: R = 2 pi nu2 k T/c2.<