Menu

Blog

Archive for the ‘nuclear energy’ category: Page 16

Dec 25, 2023

Neutron Pairs Condense in Excited Helium-8

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, particle physics, space

In its ground state, the helium-8 (8He) nucleus consists of an alpha particle (4He nucleus) and four neutrons. If, before its few-hundred-milliseconds life ends, an 8 He nucleus is nudged into its first 0+ excited state, the four neutrons form two pairs known as dineutron clusters. According to theory, the alpha particle and the two neutron clusters settle into a three-member nuclear analog of a Bose-Einstein condensate. That outcome has now been observed for the first time by Zaihong Yang of Peking University and his colleagues at the RIKEN Nishina Center in Japan [1].

The experiment entailed firing a high-intensity beam of 8 He nuclei at polyethylene and carbon targets. Some collisions excited the nuclei into the sought-after condensate state, which promptly broke up into a helium-6 (6He) nucleus and a single neutron pair. The 6 He nuclei made their way through dipole magnets to drift detectors and plastic scintillators for characterization. The neutrons struck a plastic scintillator whose layered construction made it possible to identify which neutrons were correlated—that is, members of a dineutron cluster—and which were not. The correlated neutron pairs and the scattering count rate’s dependence on energy, angle, and type of target were all consistent with theoretical predictions of the nature of the correlated 8 He excited state.

The 8 He condensate resembles the so-called Hoyle state of carbon-12, which consists of three alpha particles in the condensed state. Astronomer Fred Hoyle predicted the state in 1954 to account for the synthesis of carbon in helium-burning stars. Yang points out that nuclear condensates could also have implications for understanding the structures of exotic nuclei and neutron stars.

Dec 24, 2023

Atmospheric Neutrinos Revisited

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, particle physics

The combined analysis of present and upcoming atmospheric-neutrino experiments may lead to the solution of outstanding puzzles in neutrino physics.

Neutrinos are fickle. Produced with a certain leptonic flavor (electron, muon, or tau), neutrinos can change their flavor as they travel through space. In 1998, researchers discovered this beyond-standard-model neutrino-oscillation phenomenon using neutrinos from natural sources—Earth’s atmosphere and the Sun. Increasingly accurate experiments also involved artificial neutrino sources such as accelerators and nuclear reactors. These experiments have significantly advanced our understanding of neutrino oscillations but haven’t yet solved two important related questions regarding the ordering of neutrino masses and possible violations by neutrinos of a fundamental symmetry known as charge-parity (CP) symmetry. New work by Carlos Alberto Argüelles-Delgado of Harvard University and colleagues shows that atmospheric neutrino experiments, once pivotal in the discovery of neutrino oscillation, can still play a key role in answering those questions [1].

Dec 23, 2023

Scientists find first hints of nuclear fission in universe, challenging theories

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, space

Researchers have now identified the first signs of nuclear fission in the cosmos, something that has baffled scientists since the 1950s.


Scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory and North Carolina State University have uncovered compelling evidence of nuclear fission occurring in the cosmos, specifically during the merger of neutron stars. This discovery challenges long-held beliefs and opens a new chapter in our understanding of heavy element formation in the universe.

Continue reading “Scientists find first hints of nuclear fission in universe, challenging theories” »

Dec 23, 2023

Timelapse of Future Technology Vol. II (Sci-Fi Documentary)

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, education, information science, internet, nuclear energy, robotics/AI

This timelapse of future technology begins with 2 Starships, launched to resupply the International Space Station. But how far into the future do you want to go?

Tesla Bots will be sent to work on the Moon, and A.I. chat bots will guide people into dreams that they can control (lucid dreams). And what happens when humanity forms a deeper understanding of dark energy, worm holes, and black holes. What type of new technologies could this advanced knowledge develop? Could SpaceX launch 100 Artificial Intelligence Starships, spread across our Solar System and beyond into Interstellar space, working together to form a cosmic internet, creating the Encyclopedia of the Galaxy. Could Einstein’s equations lead to technologies in teleportation, and laboratory grown black holes.

Continue reading “Timelapse of Future Technology Vol. II (Sci-Fi Documentary)” »

Dec 22, 2023

Scientists find new way to desalinate seawater using solar power, study says

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, nuclear energy, solar power

Scientists may have found a more efficient water to desalinate water using solar power, according to new research, offering a solution for global water scarcity through the use of renewable energy.

Researchers at Nankai University in Tianjin, China, developed the concept of a solar-powered desalination system that produces fresh water by using smart DNA hydrogels that does not consume additional energy, compared to conventional desalination strategies currently in use, such as reverse osmosis, which use copious amounts of energy, according to a paper published in the journal Science Advances on Thursday.

The same process can be used simultaneously to extract uranium from seawater or treat uranyl containing nuclear wastewater, the researchers said.

Dec 15, 2023

World’s first Generation IV nuclear reactor gets operational in China

Posted by in categories: engineering, nuclear energy

The reactor uses tiny balls of fuel and heats gas to generate electricity.


In what can be termed a significant achievement in the development of next-generation nuclear reactor technology, China claims to have successfully commissioned the world’s first Generation IV commercial nuclear reactor.

Continue reading “World’s first Generation IV nuclear reactor gets operational in China” »

Dec 14, 2023

Newly developed material gulps down hydrogen, spits it out, protects fusion reactor walls

Posted by in categories: engineering, nuclear energy, physics

University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers have used a spray coating technology to produce a new workhorse material that can withstand the harsh conditions inside a fusion reactor.

The advance, detailed in a paper published recently in the journal Physica Scripta, could enable more efficient compact fusion reactors that are easier to repair and maintain.

“The fusion community is urgently looking for new manufacturing approaches to economically produce large plasma-facing components in fusion reactors,” says Mykola Ialovega, a postdoctoral researcher in and engineering physics at UW–Madison and lead author on the paper. “Our technology shows considerable improvements over current approaches. With this research, we are the first to demonstrate the benefits of using cold spray coating technology for fusion applications.”

Dec 12, 2023

Microsoft Training AI to Do Paperwork to Build Nuclear Power Plants

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, robotics/AI

Microsoft is looking to accelerate the regulatory approval process for setting up new nuclear power plants using AI.

Dec 12, 2023

Helicity Space ignites deep space nuclear fusion engine with new funds

Posted by in categories: chemistry, nuclear energy, space travel

Fusion-powered engines might drastically reduce travel time to the Moon and Mars.


California-based startup Helicity Space has successfully raised $5 million in a recent seed funding round.

Prominent space companies Airbus Ventures, TRE Ventures, Voyager Space Holdings, E2MC Space, Urania Ventures, and Gaingels have all invested in Helicity, according to a press release.

Continue reading “Helicity Space ignites deep space nuclear fusion engine with new funds” »

Dec 12, 2023

Cosmic nuclear fission seen for 1st time in ‘incredibly profound’ discovery

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, space

“The only plausible way this can arise among different stars is if there is a consistent process operating during the formation of the heavy elements,” Mumpower said. “This is incredibly profound and is the first evidence of fission operating in the cosmos, confirming a theory we proposed several years ago.”

“As we’ve acquired more observations, the cosmos is saying, ‘hey, there’s a signature here, and it can only come from fission.’”

Neutron stars are created when massive stars reach the end of their fuel supplies necessary for intrinsic nuclear fusion processes, which means the energy that has been supporting them against the inward push of their own gravity ceases. As the outer layers of these dying stars are blown away, the stellar cores with masses between one and two times that of the sun collapse into a width of around 12 miles (20 kilometers).

Page 16 of 131First1314151617181920Last