A nuclear chain reaction is a self-sustaining process in which neutron-induced fission events generate subsequent neutrons that trigger further fissile reactions within a critical mass. This mechanism relies on the fundamental principle of exponential energy release derived from the conservation of mass-energy, where the multiplication factor determines whether the system reaches a steady state (criticality) or undergoes an uncontrolled escalation (supercriticality). The concept belongs to nuclear physics and serves as the foundational theoretical model for both fission reactors and atomic weapons.
A nuclear chain reaction is a self-sustaining process in which neutron-induced fission events generate subsequent neutrons that trigger further fissile reactions within a critical mass. This mechanis…