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Summary
ACTINET – A Network of Excellence for Actinide Sciences
Thomas Fanghänel 1 , Klaus Gompper 2 , Horst Geckeis 2 , Pascal Chaix 3
1 European Commission, JRC, ITU, Karlsruhe, Germany
2 Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, INE, Karlsruhe, Germany
3 CEA Saclay, France
The Network of Excellence for Actinide Sciences ACTINET within the 6 th Framework Programme
of the EC started in March 2004 and its first phase will terminate at the end of
2008. The large actinide laboratories, universities and other research institutions in Europe
have joined this network. The ACTINET objective of stimulating European actinide research,
coordinating it, promoting integration, training young scientists, and maintaining and
enhancing European competence was pursued by using a number of instruments:
As so-called pool facilities, the large European actinide laboratories with their unique experimental
and analytical equipment were made available to scientists from Europe for joint
research projects. Establishment of a Theoretical User Lab was a promising step to make use
of the synergy between theory and experiment in various fields of actinide sciences. Joint
research projects are funded by the network. ACTINET supports the mobility in particular
of young scientists and provides grants. Seminars, workshops, and annual schools contribute
to education and training. ACTINET provides an important contribution to maintaining and
enhancing European competence in actinide sciences in the medium and long term.
ACTINET has become a living network that contributes decisively to the support, coordination,
and integration of European actinide research. Due to the key role of actinides in the
use of nuclear energy, industries and research institutions, operators of nuclear power plants
and nuclear facilities, and licensing and supervisory authorities benefit from these activities.
ACTINET needs the support of all stakeholders to further strengthen the network and to establish
it permanently as an instrument of integrating and coordinating European actinide research.
1 Introduction
Glenn Th. Seaborg postulated in 1944 that the 14 elements following actinium and having the
atomic numbers from 90 to 103 have to be considered as actinides in analogy to the lanthanides.
Similar to lanthanides (4f shell), the 5f shell of the actinides is filled with electrons. While the
chemical behaviour of the lanthanides is mainly governed by their trivalent oxidation state (with a
few well defined and well understood exceptions) the chemical behaviour in particular of the lower
actinides is much more complex with respect to their redox chemistry and other physical chemical
properties.
Actinides, in particular uranium and plutonium, but also the minor actinides neptunium, americium,
and curium play a key role in the use of nuclear energy. This applies to nuclear power plants, where
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