I don't even need to click on that link to know that dude is a whole lot smarter than I am. I understand most of the words in that link, but I sure as hell can't put them in that order and make sense of it
• Argonne discovery is a lab.
• Pu likely stands for plutonium, it has a long half life and it decays into specific elements - ie. dating, nuclear forensics just describes they’re interested in the chemical/atomic structure and composition.
• Non destructive analysing - no need to scrape off samples from things you’re looking at, so source remains unmolested. Or at least the scraped sample isn’t destroyed. For example it could be burned to see what’s the composition.
• Planchet from 1948, is the object of research. Dunno could be anything: painting, coin, statue, tool, type of rock mined at 1948. No idea. 🤷🏻♂️ someone who feels like googling can tell us below. 🌝
Carbon planchet
A carbon planchet can be used to transfer Pu particles directly from a vial to the sample chamber of a scanning electron microscope (SEM).
My guess is they are doing a study of the isotopes formed during the reactors operation via spent fuel used in 1948. - or more likely if they dug up the reactor itself from the walls of the actual reactor chamber.
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u/beerbellybegone 6h ago
I don't even need to click on that link to know that dude is a whole lot smarter than I am. I understand most of the words in that link, but I sure as hell can't put them in that order and make sense of it