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Category: nuclear energy

DAMPE satellite reveals cosmic rays share spectral break near 15 teravolts

A century after their discovery, cosmic rays—particles of extreme energy originating from the far reaches of the universe—remain a mystery to scientists. The DAMPE (Dark Matter Particle Explorer) space telescope is tackling this phenomenon, particularly investigating the role that dark matter may play in their formation. This international mission, which includes the University of Geneva (UNIGE), has made a major breakthrough by highlighting a universal feature of these particles. The results are published in the journal Nature.

Cosmic rays are the most energetic particles observed in the universe, far surpassing the energies of particles produced by man-made accelerators on Earth. Their exact origin is still under study, and it is believed that they originate from extreme astrophysical phenomena, such as supernovae, black hole jets, or pulsars.

The DAMPE space telescope, launched in December 2015, aims to provide answers regarding the origin and nature of these cosmic rays. This space mission, with the astrophysics group from the Department of Nuclear and Particle Physics (DPNC) at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) being one of its main contributors, has made a crucial breakthrough. Through the analysis of high-precision measurements collected by the telescope, scientists have identified a universal feature in the energy spectra of primary cosmic ray nuclei, ranging from protons to iron.

Laser-plasma accelerators can preserve polarization of Helium-3 ions

Particle accelerators such as those at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva are typically highly complex large-scale devices. In these ring-shaped facilities, which are often several kilometers in length, magnets and radio-frequency cavities are used to accelerate elementary particles. An alternative approach is now emerging: compact laser–plasma accelerators that can be built and operated at a fraction of the cost. These accelerators can achieve acceleration gradients up to around 1,000 times higher than those of conventional accelerators. Researchers at HHU contributed significantly to this development.

A research team led by Prof. Dr. Markus Büscher, a professor of physics at HHU and group leader at the Peter Grünberg Institute in Jülich, presented the current state of research in a review article in Reports on Progress in Physics. In a separate study published in High Power Laser Science and Engineering, they report on one specific aspect of laser–plasma acceleration, namely whether the polarization—that is to say, the collective spin alignment—of accelerated particles is preserved in laser–plasma accelerators.

Why is this relevant? “Spin alignment is crucial to a range of fundamental scientific questions as it influences the interaction between particles,” explains Professor Büscher. “In controlled nuclear fusion, the reaction probability—and thus ultimately the energy produced in the reactor—increases significantly when the spins of the fusing nuclei, the ‘fusion fuel’ so to speak, are aligned in parallel.”

A New Way to View Shockwaves Could Boost Fusion Research

At the heart of our sun, fusion is unfolding. As hydrogen atoms merge to form helium, they emit energy, producing the heat and light that reach us here on Earth. Inspired by our nearby star, researchers want to create fusion closer to home. If they can crack the engineering challenges underlying the process, they would create an abundant new source of power to eclipse all others.

One of those challenges is understanding what happens at the smallest scales during fusion reactions so that researchers can better control the process. In one of the two main kinds of fusion, inertial confinement fusion (ICF), researchers bombard a fuel-filled capsule with lasers to create shockwaves and heat and compress the target, kicking off fusion. That means lots of complex interactions that scientists haven’t been able to get a good look at — until now.

A team of researchers used a new approach at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) to watch how a shockwave moved through water in extreme detail, making a never-before-seen movie of how the material compressed and how the electric and magnetic fields evolved. They were intrigued to discover that water provided a good analog for what happens when a laser strikes an ICF target. Scientists captured the process using both X-rays and an electron beam, a unique dual view known as “multi-messenger” imaging.

DuctGPT demonstrates how AI can accelerate discovery of next-generation fusion materials

Scientists at Ames National Laboratory developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that accelerates discovery of materials needed for next-generation fusion energy systems. The tool, DuctGPT, combines advanced AI with physics-based modeling to help researchers predict materials with the appropriate properties to function in the extreme conditions inside of fusion reactors.

This research is discussed in “DuctGPT: A Generative Transformer for Forward Screening of Ductile Refractory Multi-Principal Element Alloys,” published in Acta Materialia.

The challenge is to rapidly explore a wide range of potential alloy compositions that can maintain high-temperature strength, while retaining the ductility necessary for manufacturing the materials.

Physicists Propose a New Kind of Laser That Would Fire Neutrinos

Physicists have proposed a new way to make neutrinos at accelerated rates. This method would use a state of matter close to absolute zero called a Bose-Einstein condensate. It would harness quantum effects that can produce neutrinos faster than ordinary radioactive decays. This tool would produce a large and controllable beam of neutrinos. They could have similar properties to photons (particles of light) in an optical laser.

Neutrinos are fundamental particles that interact extremely weakly with matter. It is very difficult to produce and detect neutrinos. It requires large detectors and powerful sources such as nuclear reactors or particle accelerators. A controllable, coherent source of neutrinos on a bench-top scale would have a significant impact on neutrino research. This type of technology would provide new opportunities to understand their interactions and quantum mechanical properties. In addition, the specific radioactive decays that would enable such a controllable, coherent neutrino source on a small scale could lead to new applications. These applications could include production of rare isotopes for medical physics and neutrino-based communication.

Lasers have been revolutionary in enabling the development of many aspects of modern science and technology. They are based on the amplification of light via stimulated emission. This is a quantum mechanical process whereby an excited atom is forced to emit a second photon upon absorption of another with the same wavelength. Due to their tiny masses, neutrinos behave similarly to photons in many situations. However, they cannot be used for lasing because their fermionic nature inhibits stimulated emission. For this reason, it is not possible to develop a neutrino laser using this traditional mechanism.

Researchers directly observe muonic molecules critical to muon catalyzed fusion

Scientists have directly observed muonic molecules in resonance states for the first time, using a high-resolution X-ray detector, a new Science Advances study reports.

Resonance states are critical in determining the reaction rate of muon catalyzed fusion (µCF), a process that utilizes elementary particles known as muons. Within muonic molecules, the nuclei are confined in extremely close proximity, enabling nuclear fusion to occur even at room temperature without the need for plasma.

Currently, research aimed at the practical application of nuclear fusion is underway worldwide. In principle, fusion offers highly safe energy with no risk of runaway accidents. It utilizes fuel easily extracted from seawater and produces clean energy without carbon dioxide emissions.

Machine learning accelerates analysis of fusion materials

Tungsten’s superior performance in extreme environments makes it a leading candidate for plasma-facing components (PFCs) in fusion reactors, but the ultra-high heat can damage its microscopic structure and lead to component failure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can capture and quantify these microstructure changes, but assembling a sufficiently large dataset of SEM imagery is expensive and logistically challenging.

To augment this dataset, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory trained a generative machine learning model using 3,200 SEM images of tungsten samples exposed to fusion-relevant conditions. The model can generate novel SEM images with realistic microstructures and surface features, such as cracks and pores, without replicating the original images.

“This work is not about making pretty pictures, it’s about capturing the statistics of real damage on these materials,” said ORNL’s Rinkle Juneja, the project’s principal investigator. “We train our generative workflow to learn tungsten’s microstructure signatures, like crack patterns, so it can generate new, statistically consistent microstructures, laying the groundwork for robust, data-driven assessment of PFC fusion materials.”

How nuclear batteries could speed the race to fusion power

Fusion reactions release tremendous amounts of energy by fusing two lighter atoms into a heavier one. But harvesting that energy has proven challenging. The most common approach is to heat water and spin a steam turbine, but that approach isn’t terribly efficient, harnessing at best around 60% of the power.

Avalanche Energy thinks it can capture more of that energy by developing new materials known as radiovoltaics. Radiovoltaics are similar to photovoltaics — traditional solar panels — in that they use semiconductors to transform radiation into electricity. They’ve been around for a while, but they’re not very effective. Existing radiovoltaics are easily damaged by the very radiation they harness and don’t produce that much electricity.

Today, Avalanche was awarded a $5.2 million contract from DARPA to develop new radiovoltaics, the company exclusively told TechCrunch.

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