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Category: nuclear energy – Page 17

Nanomaterials used to measure first nuclear reaction on radioactive nuclei produced in neutron star collisions

Physicists have measured a nuclear reaction that can occur in neutron star collisions, providing direct experimental data for a process that had previously only been theorized. The study, led by the University of Surrey, provides new insight into how the universe’s heaviest elements are forged—and could even drive advancements in nuclear reactor physics.

Working in collaboration with the University of York, the University of Seville, and TRIUMF, Canada’s national particle accelerator center, the breakthrough marks the first-ever measurement of a weak r-process reaction cross-section using a radioactive ion beam, in this case studying the 94 Sr(α, n)97 Zr reaction. This is where a radioactive form of strontium (strontium-94) absorbs an (a nucleus), then emits a neutron and transforms into zirconium-97.

The study has been published in Physical Review Letters.

Scientists cook up the perfect recipe to feed an energy future

After five years of trying to find the right ingredients, scientists at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) believe they have created the perfect recipe to fuel the world’s first critical fast-spectrum molten salt reactor.

The Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment (MCRE) at INL will test a new type of nuclear reactor that uses a mixture of molten chloride salt and uranium as fuel and coolant. This experiment allows researchers and scientists to evaluate the safety and physics of a molten chloride fast reactor that Southern Company and TerraPower plan to build.

This type of advanced reactor is an attractive option to provide electricity and heat for communities and industry. They operate at higher temperatures for improved efficiency, potentially reduced waste generation and inherent safety features due to the liquid fuel design.

Octupole excitation: Research provides direct evidence for rare, pulsing pear shapes in gadolinium nuclei

For the first time, scientists have acquired direct evidence of rare, pulsing pear-shaped structures within atomic nuclei of the rare-earth element gadolinium, thanks to new research led by the University of Surrey, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the IFIN-HH research institute in Bucharest, Romania.

The study, published in Physical Review Letters, provides definitive proof of a strong collective “octupole excitation” in the nucleus of gadolinium-150, a long-lived radioactive isotope of this rare-earth element, which is used in applications such as superconductors, nuclear power operations and MRI contrast materials.

The experimental signature is interpreted as the protons and neutrons inside the atomic nucleus vibrating in a coordinated pattern, resulting in a pulsing, asymmetric, pear-shaped structure.

Milestone achieved in predicting turbulence in fusion plasmas

In a comprehensive experimental study, an international team of researchers has confirmed the calculations of a leading turbulence simulation code to an unprecedented degree. This marks a major breakthrough in understanding turbulent transport processes in nuclear fusion devices.

The study has now been published in the journal Nature Communications and lays a crucial foundation for predicting the performance of fusion power plants.

Future fusion power plants aim to generate efficiently by fusing light atomic nuclei. The most advanced approach—magnetic confinement fusion—confines a , a gas heated to millions of degrees Celsius, within a magnetic field. This plasma is suspended without wall contact inside a donut-shaped vacuum chamber.

Dialing in the temperature needed for precise nuclear timekeeping

For decades, atomic clocks have been the pinnacle of precision timekeeping, enabling GPS navigation, cutting-edge physics research, and tests of fundamental theories. But researchers at JILA, led by JILA and NIST Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder physics professor Jun Ye, in collaboration with the Technical University of Vienna, are pushing beyond atomic transitions to something potentially even more stable: a nuclear clock.

This clock could revolutionize timekeeping by using a uniquely low-energy transition within the nucleus of a thorium-229 atom. This transition is less sensitive to environmental disturbances than modern atomic clocks and has been proposed for tests of fundamental physics beyond the Standard Model.

This idea isn’t new in Ye’s laboratory. In fact, work in the lab on nuclear clocks began with a landmark experiment, the results of which were published as a cover article of Nature last year, where the team made the first frequency-based, quantum-state-resolved measurement of the thorium-229 nuclear transition in a thorium-doped host crystal. This achievement confirmed that thorium’s nuclear transition could be measured with enough precision to be used as a timekeeping reference.

Laser-based radiation detector allows testing from a safer distance

A multi-institutional team of physicists and engineers has developed a laser-based radiation detection system that operates from as far away as 10 meters and perhaps farther. Their research is published in the journal Physical Review Applied.

Working with , whether in creating weapons or energy, requires monitoring radiation levels to ensure the safety of workers. However, most detectors only allow for testing in close proximity to the source, which means a worker can be in danger of overexposure before they know it has happened. In this new study, the team assigned themselves the goal of developing a new type of system or device that could be used to test from much farther away.

The team started by noting that radiation interacts with in the air around it, resulting in the creation of , so it should be possible to measure the energy of those electrons using a . In testing their ideas, they found that firing a laser into irradiated air did lead to molecule collisions, which produced free electrons.

Scientists take important step toward mitigating errors in analog quantum simulations of many-body problems

Simulations of quantum many-body systems are an important goal for nuclear and high-energy physics. Many-body problems involve systems that consist of many microscopic particles interacting at the level of quantum mechanics. They are much more difficult to describe than simple systems with just two particles. This means that even the most powerful conventional computers cannot simulate these problems.

Quantum computing has the potential to address this challenge using an approach called quantum simulation. To succeed, these simulations need theoretical approximations of how quantum computers represent many-body systems. In research on this topic, at the University of Washington developed a new framework to systematically analyze the interplay of these approximations. They showed that the impact of such approximations can be minimized by tuning simulation parameters.

The study is published in the journal Physical Review A.

Robots In Space: Future Visions author Jacob Colbruno

Come listen to one of the great authors in this year’s edition of Future Visions, Jacob Colbruno.

Join Mike DiVerde as he interviews Jacob Colbruno, a visionary thinker and contributor to the OmniFuturists, about the future of energy and civilization. Discover fascinating insights about small modular nuclear reactors, the Economic Singularity, and the path to superabundance. From hands-on farming experience to deep analysis of future energy needs, Jacob shares unique perspectives on how nuclear power, AI, and technological advancement will reshape society. Learn why the next decade could transform how we live, work, and harness energy for a sustainable future.

#EconomicSingularity #NuclearPower #FutureEnergy #Sustainability #TechInnovation

Physicists capture elusive plasma instability in unprecedented detail

For the first time, scientists have ‘photographed’ a rare plasma instability, where high-energy electron beams form into spaghetti-like filaments.

A new study, published in Physical Review Letters, outlines how a high-intensity infrared laser was used to generate filamentation instability—a phenomenon that affects applications in -based particle accelerators and fusion energy methods.

Plasma is a super-hot mixture of charged particles, such as ions and electrons, which can conduct electricity and are influenced by magnetic fields. Instabilities in plasmas can occur because the flow of particles in one direction or within a specific region can be different from the rest, causing some particles to group up into thin spaghetti-like filaments.

Neutrinos could tell us about the inside of the sun and establish density structure

Neutrinos generated through solar fusion reactions travel effortlessly through the sun’s dense core. Each specific fusion process creates neutrinos with distinctive signatures, potentially providing a method to examine the sun’s internal structure. Multiple neutrino detection observatories on Earth are now capturing these solar particles, which can be analyzed alongside reactor-produced neutrinos with the data eventually enabling researchers to construct a detailed map of the interior of the sun.

The sun is a massive sphere of hot plasma at the center of our solar system and provides the light and heat to make life on Earth possible. Composed mostly of hydrogen and helium, it generates energy through , converting hydrogen into helium in its core. This process releases an enormous amount of energy which we perceive as heat and light.

The sun’s surface, or photosphere, is around 5,500°C, while its core reaches over 15 million°C. It influences everything from our climate to space weather, sending out and occasional bursts of radiation known as . As an average middle-aged star, the sun is about 4.6 billion years old and will (hopefully) continue burning for another 5 billion years before evolving into a red giant and eventually becoming a white dwarf.

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