| Definition/Meaning | Word/Phrase |
|---|
| nuclear weapon in which enormous energy is released by nuclear fission (splitting the nuclei of a heavy element like uranium 235 or plutonium 239) |
A-bomb
,
atom bomb
,
atomic bomb
,
fission bomb
,
plutonium bomb
|
| (physics) material in a nuclear reactor that absorbs radiation |
absorber
|
| any nuclear or chemical or biological material that can be used as a weapon of mass destruction |
ammunition
|
| stage of meiosis or mitosis when chromosomes move toward opposite ends of the nuclear spindle |
anaphase
|
| Soviet physicist and dissident; helped develop the first Russian hydrogen bomb; advocated nuclear disarmament and campaigned for human rights (1921-1989) |
Andrei Dimitrievich Sakharov
,
Andrei Sakharov
,
Sakharov
|
| United States physicist noted for research on x-rays and gamma rays and nuclear energy; his observation that X-rays behave like miniature bowling balls in their interactions with electrons provided evidence for the quantal nature of light (1892-1962) |
Arthur Compton
,
Arthur Holly Compton
,
Compton
|
| energy released by a nuclear reaction |
atomic energy
,
nuclear energy
|
| lustrous grey strong metallic element resembling titanium; it is used in nuclear reactors as a neutron absorber; it occurs in baddeleyite but is obtained chiefly from zircon |
atomic number 40
,
zirconium
,
Zr
|
| radioactive metallic element that is similar to tellurium and bismuth; occurs in uranium ores but can be produced by bombarding bismuth with neutrons in a nuclear reactor |
atomic number 84
,
Po
,
polonium
|
| soft silvery-white tetravalent radioactive metallic element; isotope 232 is used as a power source in nuclear reactors; occurs in thorite and in monazite sands |
atomic number 90
,
Th
,
thorium
|
| heavy toxic silvery-white radioactive metallic element; occurs in many isotopes; used for nuclear fuels and nuclear weapons |
atomic number 92
,
U
,
uranium
|
| solid silvery grey radioactive transuranic element whose atoms can be split when bombarded with neutrons; found in minute quantities in uranium ores but is usually synthesized in nuclear reactors; 13 isotopes are known with the most important being pluton |
atomic number 94
,
plutonium
,
Pu
|
| nuclear reactor that uses controlled nuclear fission to generate energy |
atomic pile
,
atomic reactor
,
chain reactor
,
pile
|
| nuclear energy regarded as a source of electricity for the power grid (for civilian use) |
atomic power
,
nuclear power
|
| United States financier who negotiated a treaty with the Soviet Union banning tests of nuclear weapons (1891-1986) |
Averell Harriman
,
Harriman
,
William Averell Harriman
|
| (physics) a unit of nuclear cross section; the effective circular area that one particle presents to another as a target for an encounter |
b
,
barn
|
| United States physicist (born in Germany) noted for research in astrophysics and nuclear physics (born 1906) |
Bethe
,
Hans Albrecht Bethe
,
Hans Bethe
|
| atoll in the Marshall Islands; formerly used by the United States as a site for testing nuclear weapons |
Bikini
|
| nuclear transplantation of a patient's own cells to make an oocyte from which immune-compatible cells (especially stem cells) can be derived for transplant |
biomedical cloning
,
therapeutic cloning
|
| used as a lubricant and as a moderator in nuclear reactors |
black lead
,
graphite
,
plumbago
|
