The radioactive decay of plutonium is constant – every second of every day for decades. Over the course of about 90 years, only half the plutonium in an RTG will have decayed away.

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.

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

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 ...

In this lesson, students will simulate the randomness of decay in radioactive atoms and visualize the half-life of a sample radioactive element. This lesson can be completed in two (2) 45-minute class ...

During nuclear fission – the process used in nuclear plants and bombs – radioactive isotopes of uranium and plutonium decay to form dozens of elements, some radioactive and some not. One is iodine-131 ...

Inside radioisotope generators, the ‘nuclear batteries’ that power faraway spacecraft. ... 2025 Voyager 1, shown in this illustration, has operated for decades thanks to a radioisotope power ...

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Benjamin Roulston, Clarkson University (THE CONVERSATION) Powering spacecraft with ...

Nuclear power. Radioisotope thermoelectric generators do not rely on chemical reactions like the ... The radioactive decay of plutonium-238 releases enough energy that it can glow red ...