The total hemispherical emittance of polished and of oxidized alpha plutonium : preliminary report /

The total hemispherical emittance of polished 99.66 w/o plutonium was determined to be 0.37 at 88.7° and 89.0°C. The emittance of polished sample was measured after oxidation in a humid air atmosphere for 24, 66, and 168 hours. Emittances of 0.47, 0.54, and 0.70 were obtained. The apparatus was used to determine a total hemispherical emittance for candle soot of 0.96. Total errors were estimated to be less than ±3%.