what is californium used for

Californium is mainly used as a powerful neutron source for nuclear, industrial, research, and security applications. The most commercially important isotope is Californium-252 (Cf-252), which is used for starting nuclear reactors, oil and gas well logging, industrial material analysis, neutron radiography, radiation-detector calibration, and other specialized applications. Because californium is a rare radioactive element, its use is limited to highly specialized environments and qualified orga...