Ejected neutrons sustain the fission reaction by serving as reactants to split additional fissionable nuclei, which roduce additional neutrons, which can slit additional dissionable nuclei, and so on. The result is a what???
The result of this chain reaction is the release of a large amount of energy, as well as the production of more neutrons that continue to sustain the fission process. This process is used in nuclear power plants and atomic bombs to generate a significant amount of heat or explosively release a massive amount of energy, respectively.
If you would like to understand the process in more detail, let's break it down step by step:
1. An initial fissionable nucleus, typically a heavy isotope such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239, absorbs a slow-moving neutron, becoming unstable.
2. The unstable nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy in the process. This is known as fission.
3. In addition to the energy release, two or three neutrons are ejected during fission. These ejected neutrons collide with other nearby fissionable nuclei.
4. Some of the ejected neutrons are absorbed by other fissionable nuclei, causing them to also become unstable and undergo fission.
5. This ongoing process generates more energy and more ejected neutrons, which can then go on to collide with other fissionable nuclei.
6. The chain reaction continues as long as there are enough fissionable nuclei and the conditions are favorable.
So, in summary, the sustained chain reaction of fission reactions results in the release of energy and the production of more neutrons, which prompts further fission and the continuation of the process.