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Silex

Separation of isotopes by laser excitation (SILEX) is a theoretical uranium enrichment technique based on the physical principle of laser condensation repression. The industrial development of this process is mainly managed by the Global Laser Enrichment consortium and the intellectual property so developed is the only private information classified by the US federal government. Although details of the process are consequently scarce, it is strongly suspected that the SILEX process uses a laser to excite molecules in a supersonic uranium hexafluoride (UF6) jet. The rapidly expanding jet cools below the sublimation point of uranium hexafluoride, but simultaneously reduces Doppler broadening to much smaller than the molecule's isotope shift. A well-chosen lase… more »