atomic pile

American  

noun

Physics.

1. reactor.

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atomic pile British  

noun

1. the original name for a nuclear reactor

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atomic pile Scientific  

1. An early type of nuclear reactor whose core consisted of layers of graphite block interspersed with uranium, designed to create a sustained fission reaction.

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Etymology

Origin of atomic pile

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Tracerlab also began marketing elements which had been made radioactive by insertion in the Oak Ridge atomic pile.

From Time Magazine Archive

The tenth anniversary of the first chain reaction in an atomic pile was celebrated at: 1.

From Time Magazine Archive

Chita Rivera is a one-woman atomic pile, and her dances are radioactive.

From Time Magazine Archive

At this heady point a sobering word came from famed Physicist Dr. Fr�d�ric Joliot-Curie, who tends France's atomic pile, known as "Zoe," at Fort de Ch�tillon.

From Time Magazine Archive

Progress on the atomic pile gave reason for optimism, but Fermi—unhappily relocated to Chicago on Compton’s orders—was still building only prototypes.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik