The radioactive decay of plutonium-238 releases enough energy that it can glow red from its own heat, and it is this powerful heat that is the energy source to power an RTG.

Radioisotope thermoelectric generators do not rely on chemical reactions like the batteries in your phone. Instead, they rely on the radioactive decay of elements to produce heat and eventually ...

Scientists have developed a supercooled sensor that delivers full radioactivity profiles without chemical tracers.

Exotic nuclear decay observed in dark-matter detector As well as detecting neutrinos, the new method, which is detailed in Physical Review Letters, could also be of interest for nuclear forensics. For ...

Students will simulate the randomness of decay in radioactive atoms and visualize the half-life of a sample radioactive element.

Scientists have developed tiny nanocrystal particles made up of isotopes of the elements lanthanum, vanadium, and oxygen for ...

Fuelling of a radioisotope-based power system for NASA's Mars 2020 rover has begun. The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator - or MMRTG - uses heat from the natural radioactive decay of ...

Formation of radioactive iodine-131 During nuclear fission – the process used in nuclear plants and bombs – radioactive isotopes of uranium and plutonium decay to form dozens of elements, some ...

Radioisotope thermoelectric generators do not rely on chemical reactions like the batteries in your phone. Instead, they rely on the radioactive decay of elements to produce heat and eventually ...

Radioactive decay, or nuclear decay, happens when an unstable atomic nucleus spontaneously and randomly emits particles and energy to reach a more stable configuration.