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

  • Temelín Nuclear Power Plant, South Bohemia, Czech Republic
    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

  • phase diagrams of helium-3 and helium-4
    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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