Cherenkov radiation casts a blue glow (IMAGE)

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Cherenkov radiation casts a blue glow

Caption

HFIR reactor operators perform tasks from the bridge above the reactor pool. Spent fuel casts a blue glow from the Cherenkov radiation effect, which occurs when charged particles from radioactive decay travel faster than light in water. 

Credit

Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

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