<p>The US has successfully conducted a "subcritical" nuclear test at an underground site in Nevada to study the behaviour of nuclear materials without causing an atomic explosion, authorities said.<br /></p>.<p>In subcritical nuclear tests, no critical mass is formed and no self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction can occur; thus, there is no nuclear explosion.<br />The scientific data gathered through this subcritical nuclear test called Pollux -- the 27th such experiment to date -- will provide crucial information to maintain the safety and effectiveness of US nuclear weapons, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said in a statement yesterday.<br />"Challenging subcritical experiments maintain our capabilities to ensure that we can support a safe, secure and effective stockpile without having to conduct underground testing," NNSA Administrator Thomas D'Agostino said.The previous subcritical experiment, Barolo B, was conducted on February 2, 2011.<br />"Diagnostic equipment fielded by our scientists resulted in more data collected in this single experiment than all other previous subcritical experiments," said NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defence Programmes Don Cook.<br />"This type of data is critical for ensuring our computer simulations can accurately predict performance, and thus continued confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the nation's stockpile," he said.<br />NNSA said subcritical experiments examine the behaviour of plutonium as it is strongly shocked by forces produced by chemical high explosives. </p>
<p>The US has successfully conducted a "subcritical" nuclear test at an underground site in Nevada to study the behaviour of nuclear materials without causing an atomic explosion, authorities said.<br /></p>.<p>In subcritical nuclear tests, no critical mass is formed and no self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction can occur; thus, there is no nuclear explosion.<br />The scientific data gathered through this subcritical nuclear test called Pollux -- the 27th such experiment to date -- will provide crucial information to maintain the safety and effectiveness of US nuclear weapons, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said in a statement yesterday.<br />"Challenging subcritical experiments maintain our capabilities to ensure that we can support a safe, secure and effective stockpile without having to conduct underground testing," NNSA Administrator Thomas D'Agostino said.The previous subcritical experiment, Barolo B, was conducted on February 2, 2011.<br />"Diagnostic equipment fielded by our scientists resulted in more data collected in this single experiment than all other previous subcritical experiments," said NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defence Programmes Don Cook.<br />"This type of data is critical for ensuring our computer simulations can accurately predict performance, and thus continued confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the nation's stockpile," he said.<br />NNSA said subcritical experiments examine the behaviour of plutonium as it is strongly shocked by forces produced by chemical high explosives. </p>