Photo from Jer Kunz on Flikr.
On August 20, 2011, the New York Times ran a story, “Laser advances in nuclear fuel stir terror fear” about General Electric’s claim to have perfected a new way of enriching uranium, Silex, using lasers. GE claims that the new technology, which scientists have sought to perfect for decades, would make the traditionally arduous, dirty, and dangerous process of uranium enrichment cheaper and more efficient. They are seeking federal approval for a new $1 billion uranium separation plant just outside Wilmington, North Carolina.
The story poses challenges to a science journalist: the new technology is so secret that no pictures or diagrams of it are publicly available, its designers are loath to talk about it, and the technical accomplishments involved in its development are out-of-bounds for public discussion. (more…)