Chain reaction

The process by which neutrons released from one fission cause further fissions, which release more neutrons in turn. Reactor physicists track its size, generation to generation, with the effective multiplication factor, k: below 1 the reaction dies away (subcritical), at 1 it holds steady (critical), above 1 it grows (supercritical). Every operating power reactor runs critical essentially all the time; 'critical' is the normal operating state, not an emergency, despite how news coverage sometimes uses 'went critical'.

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concept:chain-reaction

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