Alyssa Gaiser

The transplutonium elements, e.g. the heavy actinides, are less well understood than the earlier members of the actinide series due to their extremely limited availability and high radioactivity…

The transplutonium elements, e.g. the heavy actinides, are less well understood than the earlier members of the actinide series due to their extremely limited availability and high radioactivity…

Nuclear batteries, such as the radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) used by NASA, have proven to be effective in long-term power generation and storage since those in service have stood up to the test of time: the RTGs used in the Voyager space mission are still in operation after 45 years…

Nuclear fuel has been deemed an advantageous energy source due to its high-volume energy release; however, the spent nuclear fuel generated requires reprocessing to reuse. Spent nuclear fuel contains a vast number of elements, including lanthanides and actinides…

The energetic interplay between the nearly-degenerate 5f and 6d orbitals in the actinide series gives rise to chemical and physical properties that are not observed elsewhere in the periodic table…

Recently, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has begun harvesting the promethium-147 byproduct from their plutonium-238 campaign. This modern source of promethium-147 has provided milligram quantities of promethium material for the investigation of its coordination chemistry and spectroscopy…

Modern medicine relies heavily on the use of radioisotopes for the diagnosis and treatment of aggressive conditions like cancer. Isotopes whose parent-daughter decay pairing provides an avenue for both therapy and diagnosis of medical conditions are highly sought after…