This report provides a summary of theoretical and experimental studies of actinide spectra in condensed phases. Much of the work was accomplished at Argonne National Laboratory, but references to related investigations by others are included. Spectroscopic studies of the trivlent actinides are emphasized, as is the use of energy level parameters, evaluated from experimental data, to investigate systematic trends in electronic structure and other properties. Some reference is made to correlations with atomic spectra, as well as with spectra of the (II), (IV), and higher valence states.

Report on research in carcinogenesis, human radiobiology, low-level radiation, molecular biology, and toxicology.

Measurements are described for determining average values of fission rates in uranium-235, uranium-238 and plutonium-239 and capture rates in uranium-238 for heterogeneous cells used to construct fast critical assemblies. The measurements are based on irradiations of foils of uranium-238, uranium-235 and plutonium-239 with counting of fission and capture products using gamma-ray spectroscopy. Both plate and pin cells are considered. Procedures are described for inferring cell-average reaction rate values from a single foil location based on a cell using a quantity called a cell factor. Cell factors are determined from special measurements in which several foils are irradiated within a cell. Comparisons are presented between cell factors determined by measurements and by Monte Carlo calculations which lend credibility to the measurement procedures.

Eccentricity of a specific slip-joint design separating two cantilevered, telescoping tubes did not create any self-excited lateral vibrations that had not been observed previously for a concentric slip joint. In fact, the eccentricity made instabilities less likely to occur, but only marginally. Most important, design rules previously established to avoid instabilities for the concentric slip joint remain valid for the eccentric slip joint.

When calculations of flux are done in less than three dimensions, leakage-absorption cross sections are normally used to model leakages (flows) in the dimensions for which the flux is not calculated. Since the neutron flux is axially dependent, the leakages, and hence the leakage-absorption cross sections, are also axially dependent. Therefore, to obtain axial flux profiles (or reaction rates) for individual subassemblies, an XY-geometry calculation delineating each subassembly has to be done at several axial heights with space- and energy-dependent leakage-absorption cross sections that are appropriate for each height. This report discusses homogeneous and heterogeneous XY-geometry calculations at various axial locations and using several differing assumptions for the calculation of the leakage-absorption cross section. The positive (outward) leakage-absorption cross sections are modeled as actual leakage absorptions, but the negative (inward) leakage-absorption cross sections are modeled as either negative leakage absorptions (+-B² method) or positive downscatter cross sections (the ..sigma../sub s/(1 ..-->.. g) method).