Another day, another
laser... well, not so fast. This particular laser just so happens to officially carry the "world's largest title." Built at
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, and housed in the National Ignition Facility -- or NIF -- it was completed at the end of March, and has just now been officially dedicated and opened for business. The laser inside the three-football field-sized building will aim to create a "star" on earth by focusing 192 beams at a pea-sized target, generating temperatures over 100 million degrees and pressure over 100 billion times the earth's atmosphere. The process will create nuclear fusion -- the reaction that powers the sun and the stars. it sounds pretty complicated, and we'd hate to be in town if something goes awry, but we're crossing our fingers for the team! Hit the read link for much, much more information about the project.
[Via
Physorg]
posted May 29th 2009 9:49PM
Finaly ... after the Hadron Collider didn't work out ... another go at the Resonance Cascade ...
We should aim it at the moon just in case.
even if we miss, well land among the stars
@andres: funniest. comment. ever.
LOL Andres! That was awesome.
@andres: Comment of the month!
so what exactly are they fusing? the hydrogen in the air?
Not possible even with NIF.
NIF is basically a fusion fuel test fascillity. It's purpose is to test fuels to figure out their gains. In the future, once the fusion community decides on a fuel, it could be retrofitted for other things such as material damage analysis, but for now, it's just a fuel tester.
If you read the link, you might actually find out.
I'd assume it'd be a pellet of deuterium aka Hydrogen-2 or or tritium aka Hydrogen-3
I thought it was peas
As far as I understand its a pea sized amount of deuterium.
A 500TW lase pulse is directed at the target hitting simultaneously
from all directions. The idea is that the surface of the deuterium
becomes plasma and causes the deuterium to collapse in on itself.
The goal is that fusion will occur in the compressed deuterium.
They've tried this several times before with other lasers and every
single time they say they need a bigger laser to achieve ignition.
This is just the latest attempt.
deuterium in small pellets.
this sounds like a GREAT IDEA. now they have enough power for the red matter machine
god damnit, im a doctor, not a physicist
*In before pew pew pew.
pew pew pew
pew*189, alright that should be all of them....
But is any shark's head big enough?
Certainly:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/13/mega_shark_trailer/
Frickin' laser beams!
Chris Knight: Don't eat that!
Girl: Why?
Chris Knight: Don't you know that eating that stuff can give you very large breasts? *looking down* Oh, my God! I'm too late!
"AND STOP PLAYING WITH YOURSELF!"
we'd hate for things to go awry...but look below for gadgets....
didn't any of these people see spiderman 2 ? maybe this is how the big bang starts (hawking time mobius theory)
Hate to get picky, but it is actually 192 beams, not 162. Wouldn't want those 30 beams to feel left out.
see https://lasers.llnl.gov/
Proud to be a Livermoron...
Good luck guys, I hope you acheive ignition soon, fusion is our best hope and very cool.
lol even the scientist expect the thing to blow on use!
https://lasers.llnl.gov/
That's how you know it's good
And when the star collapses, the wormhole left will consume us all!!!!
if it generated a star big enough to cause some sort of tear in space, we'd have bigger problems.
hopefully the black hole lasts just long enough that we dont have to clean up the scientists and there mess
And thus, we realize that Earth is nothing more than a giant death star.
Or just a normal sized death star
Just don't give access to this thing to anyone named Shoop Da Whoop
Too late, they're already chargin' their lazors!
BLAAAAAARRRRRGH!
from LLNL site "NIF, the world’s highest-energy laser system, consists of 192 laser beams" but whats 30 less, right.
well thats f'n weird, it said 162- 39 seconds before I posted, time to reduce the meds.
It's like the death star. Lasers are focused on to a point...
Gordon, get away from the beam!
If a dark-haired, speech-impaired man in a suit tells you to "prepare for unforeseen consequences," run.
Rather than offer you the illusion of free choice, I will take the liberty of choosing for you... if and when your time comes round again. I do apologize for what must seem to you an arbitrary imposition, Dr. Freeman. I trust it will all make sense to you in the course of... well... I'm really not at liberty to say. In the meantime... this is where I get off.
Shit, I have to play that game again!
Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and shine. Not that I wish to imply you have been sleeping on the job. No-one is more deserving of a rest. And all the effort in the world would have gone to waste until... well, let's just say your hour has come again. The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So, wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes.
so much win!
I've visited here during my laser study courses at Indian Hills Community College. There is so much information and so many possibilities that makes this safe and more scientifically astonishing than anyone could ever imagine. You have nothing to worry about. There is about 8 feet of borium* doped concrete surrounding the cavity meaning that the radiation cannot penetrate it no matter what. IF there was a problem there are so many fail safe interlocks put in place that will shut it down if anything subtle goes wrong. If they create a star they will flow a lithium bath around the core that allows the absorbtion of the heat/energy to be used to power the world. If they can create this star... I worry about the electric companies staying in business much longer!
*spelling may be wrong.
Thanks for the info, i was really worried & you addressed all of my concerns in your comment.
That's what they always say, "Something unexpected happened".
Wait wait wait...you're taking laser study courses, yet you don't know how to spell barium?
It may be time for a new major.