atomic pile

• Término histórico para un reactor nuclear, dispositivo que inicia y controla una reacción nuclear en cadena sostenida. Fue común a mediados del siglo XX, pero posteriormente fue reemplazado por «reactor nuclear».

An early term for a nuclear reactor, referring to a device that initiates and controls a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The term was commonly used in the mid-20th century but has since been replaced by 'nuclear reactor'.

1. Early nuclear reactorC1formal

   An early type of nuclear reactor, consisting of a pile of graphite blocks and uranium, used to produce a controlled nuclear chain reaction.

   pila atómica

   • The first atomic pile was built under the stands of a football stadium.
   • Enrico Fermi's atomic pile achieved the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
   • The atomic pile was a crucial step in the development of nuclear energy.