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

But when Greenewalt landed in Chicago, where the first atomic pile was being built at the University of Chicago, the scientists thought differently.

From Time Magazine Archive

The fearful light at Alamagordo and the bombing of Hiroshima are well contrived; but the fine opportunities for suspense�e.g., the trial run in the atomic pile under Stagg Field�are largely bungled.

From Time Magazine Archive

Delayed neutrons make an atomic pile possible: they allow time for adjusting its speed of reaction.

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

An important breakthrough occurred in a squash court under the west stands of the University of Chicago’s Stagg Field, where Enrico Fermi had erected an atomic pile.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik