atomic pile

• Terme ancien désignant un réacteur nucléaire, c'est-à-dire un dispositif qui initie et contrôle une réaction nucléaire en chaîne soutenue. L'expression était courante au milieu du XXe siècle avant d'être remplacée par « réacteur nucléaire ».

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 The term was commonly used in the mid-20th century but has since been replaced by 'nuclear reactor'.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.

   pile atomique

   • 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.