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What Is a Nuclear Energy Test?

Nuclear energy is used as an energy source and as a component of weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear power plants produce energy by the process of nuclear fission, the splitting apart of the nuclei of atoms. Nuclear weapons, on the other hand, use a combination of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion, the joining of two or more nuclei.

  1. Nuclear Power Plants

    • There are more than 100 nuclear power plants in the United States. Researchers are searching for safer ways to produce nuclear energy to ensure the security of the climate and the energy supply. This endeavor requires the testing of new nuclear materials. One facility that tests these materials is the Materials Test Station, MTS, of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. This facility and others like it rely on computer models and simulations to test nuclear energy. Some software, like that created by Entergy, allows researchers to test how severe weather systems can impact nuclear safety. The MTS will eventually have a 800-million-electronvolt proton beam that will allow 3-D visualization of nuclear fission.

    Nuclear Weapons

    • Between 1945 and 2008, nuclear powers conducted over 2,000 nuclear tests internationally. These tests involved setting nuclear explosions underwater, underground or in the atmosphere. In 1963, the Partial Test Ban Treaty ended atmospheric and underwater testing.

    Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

    • The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty now prohibits any nuclear explosions on Earth. Countries began signing this treaty on September 24, 1996. As of November 2010, this treaty has been signed or ratified by most countries.

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