--%>
Assignment Help - homework help

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 : Explain Drake equation Drake equation

    Drake equation (F. Drake; 1961): The method of estimating the number of intelligent, scientific species (that is, able to communicate with other species) in subsistence in our space. N

    		•
  • Q : Define Determinism principle

    Determinism principle: The principle that when one knows the state to an unlimited accuracy of a system at one point in time, one would be capable to predict the state of that system with unlimited accuracy at any other time, past or the future. For i

    		•
  • Q : Define Rydberg constant Rydberg

    Rydberg constant (Rydberg): The constant that governs the relationship of the spectral line features of an atom via the Rydberg formula. For hydrogen, it is around 1.097 x 107 m-1.

    		•
  • Q : Calculate the intensity I along y axis

    As shown in the figure below, a source at S is sending out a spherical wave: E1=(A×D/r) cos(wt-2πr/λ); where r is the distance to source

    		•
  • Q : Explain Youngs experiment or

    Young's experiment: double-slit experiment (T. Young; 1801): A well-known experiment that exhibits the wave nature of light (and certainly of other particles). The light is passed from a small source into an opaque screen with the two thin slits. The

    		•
  • Q : Instrument used to measure the volume

    Name the instrument which is used to measure the volume? Explain in short?

    		•
  • Q : Rest mass energy of the electron What

    What do you mean by the rest mass energy of the electron?

    		•
  • Q : Biot-Savart law Biot-Savart law (J.B.

    Biot-Savart law (J.B. Biot, F. Savart) - The law which explains the contributions to the magnetic field by an electric current. This is analogous to the Coulomb's law. Mathematically: dB = (mu0 I)/(4 pi r2) dl cross e

    		•
  • Q : Characteristics of electronics what is

    what is the characteristics of electronics ?

    		•
  • Q : What is Wave-particle duality

    Wave-particle duality: The principle of quantum mechanics that entails that light (and, certainly, all other subatomic particles) at times act similar to a wave, and sometime act similar to a particle, based on the experiment you are executing. For ex

    		•