molecular laser isotope separation
physics
Also known as: MLIS, SILEX, separation of isotopes by laser excitation
Learn about this topic in these articles:
nuclear enrichment
- In nuclear reactor: Enrichment
…known generically as MLIS (molecular laser isotope separation)—or commercially as SILEX (separation of isotopes by laser excitation)—gaseous UF6 is exposed to high-powered lasers tuned to the correct frequencies to cause the molecules containing 235U (but not 238U) to lose electrons. In this (ionized) form, the 235U-containing molecules are separated…
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photochemical enrichment
- In isotope: Photochemical enrichment methods
…is the element itself; in molecular laser isotope separation (MLIS), the starting material is a chemical compound containing the element. Ordinary light sources are not suitable for isotope separation because they emit a broad range of frequencies that excites all the isotopes of an element. For this reason, the large-scale…
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