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Glossary

Englischsprachiges Glossar

'Tiefenaufschluss' Show / Hide

Area below the 800-m level in the Asse mine.

TectonicsShow / Hide

Science of the structure of the earth's crust and the movements of the single crust parts.

Teletherapy Show / Hide

Treatment of diseases by irradiation of the body from outside.

TemelinShow / Hide

Nuclear power plant in the South Bohemian Temelin, Czech Republic. The existence of the NPP is questionable from the point of view of safety and economy and is accompanied by a transboundary environmental impact assessment (EIA).

Temporary storage facility Show / Hide

Installations where spent fuel elements are stored so long on the site of a nuclear power plant in suitable transport and storage containers until a decentralised interim storage facility is available, at maximum for 6 to 8 years, however.

terabecquerelShow / Hide

1 terabecquerel (TBq) = 1.000.000.000.000 becquerel (Bq).

Terahertz radiationShow / Hide

The term terahertz radiation refers to electromagnetic waves in the frequency range around 1 terahertz (1 terahertz [THz] = 1,000 gigahertz [GHz] = 1012 hertz).

The upper and lower frequency limits are not clearly defined. As a minimum, terahertz radiation is considered to include frequencies from 0.3 to 3 terahertz, but the range is sometimes also expanded downwards (to 0.1 terahertz or even further) and upwards into the adjacent infrared region (up to 150 terahertz, for example).

The region between 30 and 300 gigahertz (= 0.03 to 0.3 terahertz) is referred to as millimetre waves. Immediately below that are the centimetre waves. Millimetre and centimetre waves are also referred to as microwaves.

Lastly, terahertz radiation with frequencies between 0.3 and 3 terahertz is also described as submillimetre waves or far infrared (FIR).

Teratogenic Show / Hide

Damaging the fruit, causes deformities of the seedling due to chemical and physical agents.

Terminal points (hard, weak) Show / Hide

Types of diseases investigated in epidemiological studies. Among the "hard" terminal points are e. g. overall mortality rate, selected causes of death, cancer diseases, etc. while "weak" terminal points are diseases such as headaches, sensitivities disturbances, etc..

TerrestrialShow / Hide

Term for all processes, powers and forms existing on solid land.

Terrestrial radiation Show / Hide

Radiation emanating from natural radionuclides and their decay products available in the soils and rocks of the earth's crust.

Tesla Show / Hide

Tesla is the unit of magnetic flux density.

TETRA Show / Hide

Terrestrial Trunked Radio. European radio standard. TETRA is used for the Digital Radio of Security Authorities and Organisations at frequencies between 380 and 395 MHz.

Thermoluminescence dosimeter Show / Hide

Thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD) can be used to detect ionising radiation (radioactivity). Thermoluminescence describes the capability of a material to emit the previously stored energy in the form of light when the material is heated. The level of ionising radiation is determined by evaluating the quantity of emitted light. This is directly proportional to the energy taken up originally.

Three-phase currentShow / Hide

Three-phase current systems transmit electrical energy via three live wires that each carry an alternating electrical current. These three currents have the same voltage and frequency but are phase-shifted by 120° to one another.

Threshold value Show / Hide

Damage occurs only when a minimum dose is exceeded.

Thyratron Show / Hide

Gas-filled switch duct similar to an amplifier duct (triode) whose main discharge is initiated by a grid-like electrode. These ducts are used for the impulse modulation of magnetrons and other oscillators and as quick electronic switches. Larger structural forms serve for engine management systems, controlled rectifiers or to handle more efficient switches.

Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)Show / Hide

Procedure which enables within the scope of digital telecommunication to transfer several calls simultaneously on one transmitting frequency. Each call is assigned one time division in which the temporally distributed transmitting signals (digitised and compressed language "packages") are transmitted. In the GSM system, for instance, 8 time divisions of 577 µs each are used to transmit up to 8 talks simultaneously.

Total activityShow / Hide

Number of decays per time unit occurring in the radioactive waste.

TransgressionShow / Hide

Assaults from the sea over large areas of the mainland.

Transmitting power Show / Hide

Electrical power emitted from an antenna.

Transport licenses Show / Hide

With respect to nuclear transports, transport licences are granted by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection if the legal prerequisites are complied with, in particular the precaution against damage according to the state-of-the-art of science and technology.

Transuranium elementsShow / Hide

Transuranium elements (from Latin trans = beyond) are the chemical elements that follow uranium in the periodic table of the elements, i.e. have a higher atomic number than uranium (Z = 92). All transuranium elements are radioactive. Many transuranic elements decay by emitting an alpha particle (alpha decay) and are therefore particularly dangerous if they enter the human body. The best-known transuranium elements include plutonium and americium.

TritiumShow / Hide

Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen with 2 neutrons and 1 proton in the nucleus. It decays to form the daughter nuclide helium-3 and emits low-energy beta radiation. Tritium has a physical half-life of 12.3 years. "Tritiated" water (HTO) is a form of water in which the hydrogen atoms are replaced with tritium.

If tritiated water is absorbed by the human body, it undergoes metabolic processes just like normal water and is quickly excreted again. It has a biological half-life of around 10 days. There is no enrichment via the food chain.

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