DiscoverNaked NuclearAfter-Pop! What is Reactor Physics?
After-Pop! What is Reactor Physics?

After-Pop! What is Reactor Physics?

Update: 2025-09-01
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Description

Ever wonder how tiny particles can power whole cities? In this After-Pop! we follow our previous episode with Ikhwan Khaleb and dive into the world of reactor physics — the science behind nuclear chain reactions, neutrons, and keeping everything safe and steady.


What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • What reactor physics actually means (and why it matters).

  • The “life cycle” of a neutron, from birth to absorption.

  • How scientists keep reactors balanced using criticality.

  • What students study in reactor physics classes.


Wanna learn more about reactor physics straight from the (peer-reviewed) source?

Checkout these guides:  

  1. Stacey, W. M. (2018). Nuclear Reactor Physics (3rd ed.). Wiley-VCH.

    • Comprehensive textbook covering neutron life cycles, chain reactions, and reactor kinetics.

  2. Lamarsh, J. R., & Baratta, A. J. (2017). Introduction to Nuclear Engineering (4th ed.). Pearson.

    • Widely used undergraduate text explaining the fundamentals of reactor physics in accessible language.

  3. Duderstadt, J. J., & Hamilton, L. J. (1976). Nuclear Reactor Analysis. Wiley.

    • Classic reference on neutron transport, diffusion theory, and criticality.

  4. American Nuclear Society (ANS). (2021). Nuclear Science and Technology Basics.

  5. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). (2022). Reactor Concepts Manual: Nuclear Physics Fundamentals.


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    After-Pop! What is Reactor Physics?

    After-Pop! What is Reactor Physics?

    Danielle Allen