spallation
noun
spall·ation
spȯ-ˈlā-shən 
1
: a nuclear reaction in which light particles are ejected as the result of bombardment (as by high-energy protons)
2
: the process of spalling
Examples of spallation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On a spacecraft, this could not only puncture windows but also lead to internal spallation, where fragments break off inside the cabin.
—
Alan Bradley, Space.com, 8 May 2026
This would initiate a series of nuclear processes where the atoms split in a process called spallation, which releases a shower of neutrons.
—New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2025
Those protons smashing and staying put creates the right kind of actinium through a process called spallation.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2024
The first neutron sources used for research consisted of nuclear reactors, but spallation sources don't have the safety issues of reactors and produce a much larger quantity of useful neutrons, says Henning Friis Poulsen, a physicist at the Technical University of Denmark in Kongens Lyngby.
—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Sep. 2014
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Alan Bradley, Space.com, 8 May 2026
This would initiate a series of nuclear processes where the atoms split in a process called spallation, which releases a shower of neutrons.
—New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2025
Those protons smashing and staying put creates the right kind of actinium through a process called spallation.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2024
The first neutron sources used for research consisted of nuclear reactors, but spallation sources don't have the safety issues of reactors and produce a much larger quantity of useful neutrons, says Henning Friis Poulsen, a physicist at the Technical University of Denmark in Kongens Lyngby.
—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Sep. 2014
Cite this Entry
“Spallation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spallation. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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