Aug 11 2015
Professor Patrick Regan and NPL's Radioactivity Group helped nuclear physicist Professor Jim Al-Khalili recreate Otto Hahn's famous atom-splitting nuclear fission experiment from 1938.
Professor Jim Al-Khalili recreates Otto Hahn's atom-splitting nuclear fission (Courtesy of BBC)
As part of a new television programme to help audiences understand nuclear fission, the process central to nuclear power, NPL helped recreate the experiment for a new television show on BBC Four, Britain's Nuclear Secrets: Inside Sellafield.
Watch BBC Four Britain's Nuclear Secrets: Inside Sellafield, shown on Monday 10 August 2015, 21:00 hrs.
Find out more on the BBC website - How we split the atom for a television programme
Britain's Nuclear Secrets: Inside Sellafield - Synopsis
Lying on the remote north-west coast of England is one of the most secret places in the country - Sellafield, the most controversial nuclear facility in Britain. Now, for the first time, Sellafield are letting nuclear physicist Professor Jim Al-Khalili and the television cameras in, to discover the real story. Inside, Jim encounters some of the most dangerous substances on Earth, reveals the nature of radiation and even attempts to split the atom. He sees inside a nuclear reactor, glimpses one of the rarest elements in the world - radioactive plutonium - and even subjects living tissue to deadly radiation. Ultimately, the film reveals Britain's attempts - past, present and future - to harness the almost limitless power of the atom.
Find out more about NPL's Radioactivity research
Contact: Patrick Regan