Scientists detect a nuclear reactor’s ghostly afterglow for the first time
Scientists have successfully detected antineutrinos emitted by a shut-down nuclear reactor, confirming that radioactive decay continues in the core. This measurement was achieved using a liquid scintillator detector in France.
Even after a nuclear reactor is switched off, activity continues deep inside its core. Long-lived radioactive fission products keep decaying for months or even years, releasing a weak stream of particles called antineutrinos. (Anti)neutrinos are the lightest and most elusive known particles in the Universe, and they can pass through both the reactor and its surrounding shielding with little interference.
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