Submitted 11 months ago by L4s@lemmy.world [bot] to technology@lemmy.world
Scientists successfully replicate historic nuclear fusion breakthrough three times::Scientists in California make a significant step in what could one day be an important solution to the global climate crisis, driven primarily by burning fossil fuels.
Outta curiosity, how is fusion viable for bomb research? (Ignoring the fact that the world’s current nuclear arsenal is already incredibly powerful, and that 100mega ton bombs have been designed and 50Mton bombs have been tested)
Most fusion attempts try to keep a continuous reaction ongoing.
Tokamak reactors, like JET or ITER do this through a changing magnetic field, which would allow a reaction to keep going for minutes, the goal is somewhere around 10-30min.
Stellerator reactors try to do the same through a closed loop, basically a Möbius band of plasma encircled by magnets. The stellerator topology of Wendelstein 7-X was used as VFX for the closed time loop in Endgame.
The NIF is different. It doesn’t try to create a long, ongoing, controlled reaction. It tries to create a nuclear chain reaction for a tiny fraction of a millisecond. Basically a fusion bomb the size of a grain of rice.
The “promise” is that if one were to just repeat this explosion again and again and again, you’d also have something that would almost continually produce energy.
But so far, the NIF has primarily focused on getting as much data as possible about how the first millisecond of a fusion reaction proceeds. The different ways to trigger it, and how it affects the reaction.
The US hasn’t done large scale nuclear testing in decades. Almost everything is now happening in simulations. But the first few milliseconds of the ignition are still impossible to accurately model in a computer. To build a more reliable and stronger bomb, one would need to test the initial part of a fusion reaction in the real world repeatedly.
And that’s where the NIF comes in.
@Uranium_Green those are literally fusion bombs.
But there is a test ban treaty in place, and has been for some time.
NIF provides plausible deniability to study fusion ignition without setting off actual nuclear weapons. This is what it’s always been about. It isn’t power plant research, and never has been.
You can always run few extra experiments to make your hydrogen bombs smaller or more reliable.
Currently fielded devices haven’t been tested, all you can do is to do some non-explosive tests and simulate the rest. Data from NIF are used in the latter
I could chew the air in Sacramento the other day, so hurry up
Green capitalism will not restore our collapsing ecosystem. Green capitalism is not collectively owned or controlled by the masses of people.
Green capitalism is a narrative that diverts attention from the hyper exploitative conditions we face under the rule of the state and capitalist elite.
Capitalism is a tumor that has the capacity to kill life itself. We need to become organized to sustain life and a future without capitalism.
cyd@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Nuclear fusion isn’t the solution to the climate crisis. It’s decades away, if it ever happens; the climate crisis is something we’re having to tackle now.
Uranium_Green@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Researching this doesn’t prevent renewables being researched or rolled out? I think the nuclear scientists developing this might be better researching as opposed to researching fission reactors or researching renewables as this is likely their area of expertise.
Fusion is a long shot but if it was achieved it would be world changing (hopefully for the better)
MudSkipperKisser@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Agreed, as a whole we need to stop the argument line of reasoning that one alternative is at the expense of another, and then admonishing one because it’s not the “better” of the two options. Multiple things can happen at once, progress isn’t necessarily linear.
spudwart@spudwart.com 11 months ago
Solution:
No more Private Jets or Yachts.
Transportation Infrastructure Overhaul to transition away from cars and diversify to a set of electric or non-fuel forms of transportation (Lightrail, Train, Electric Busses, Bikes, Lamborfeeties.)
But to do the latter we’d have to go on a major guerilla marketing campaign to undo decades of car company propaganda.
And for the former we’d basically have to perform a miracle.
demonsword@lemmy.world 11 months ago
not gonna happen in a billionaire-captured world
ExLisper@linux.community 11 months ago
I just bought a house 30 meters above see level. If I calculated this right I will get to retire in a beach front property. That’s the best solution to climate change you can get today.
match@pawb.social 11 months ago
Fusion could become perfect and effective tomorrow and it still wouldn’t solve the climate crisis because of the power and influence of entrenched corporations
gnygnygny@lemm.ee 11 months ago
It will not be tomorrow even for the end of the week
GBU_28@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Ok