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Aug 21, 2024

Quenching the intense heat of a fusion plasma may require a well-placed liquid metal evaporator

Posted by in category: futurism

The researchers originally thought the lithium would be best housed in a “metal box” with an opening at the top. The plasma would flow into the gap so the lithium could dissipate the heat of the plasma before reaching the metal walls. Now, the researchers say a cave—geometrically just the inner half of a box—full of lithium vapor would be simpler than a box. The difference is more than just semantics: It impacts where the lithium travels and how effectively it dissipates heat.

“For years, we thought we needed a full, four-sided box, but now we know we can make something much simpler,” said Emdee. Data from new simulations pointed them in a different direction when the research team realized they could contain the lithium just as well if they cut their box in half. “Now we call it the cave,” Emdee said.

In the cave configuration, the device would have walls on the top, bottom and side closest to the center of the tokamak. This optimizes the path for the evaporating lithium, setting it on a better course for capturing the most heat from the private flux region while minimizing the complexity of the device.

Aug 21, 2024

Physicists develop new model that describes how filaments assemble into active foams

Posted by in categories: biological, nanotechnology, particle physics, robotics/AI

Many fundamental processes of life, and their synthetic counterparts in nanotechnology, are based on the autonomous assembly of individual particles into complex patterns. LMU physicist Professor Erwin Frey, Chair of Statistical and Biological Physics at LMU Munich and member of the ORIGINS Excellence Cluster, investigates the fundamental principles of this self-organization.

Aug 21, 2024

Advanced orbital angular momentum mode switching in multimode fiber utilizing an optical neural network chip

Posted by in categories: internet, robotics/AI

The rapid development of technologies such as the internet, mobile communications, and artificial intelligence has dramatically increased the demand for high-capacity communication systems. Among various solutions, mode-division multiplexing (MDM) has emerged as a crucial technique, utilizing spatial modes like orbital angular momentum (OAM) to enhance communication capacity.

Aug 21, 2024

Researchers observe Floquet states in colloidal nanoplatelets driven by visible pulses

Posted by in category: quantum physics

Solution-processed semiconductor nanocrystals are also called colloidal quantum dots (QDs). While the concept of size-dependent quantum effects had long been known to physicists, a sculpture of the theory into real nanodimensional objects remained impossible till the discovery of QDs. The size-dependent colors of QDs are essentially naked-eye, ambient-condition visualizations of the quantum size effect.

Aug 21, 2024

The underrated impact of humidity in predicting heat-related deaths

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

Governments, medical institutions and other bodies require accurate models on health-related matters in order to better organize their activities.

Aug 21, 2024

Looking ahead to the next 25 years of private space stations

Posted by in category: space

As the International Space Station is phased out, a new generation of commercial space stations from private companies will take its place.

Aug 21, 2024

How a quantum sensor on the ISS could revolutionize space exploration

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics, space travel

I expect that space-based atom interferometry will lead to exciting new discoveries and fantastic quantum technologies impacting everyday life, and will transport us into a quantum future.

Aug 21, 2024

Giant exoplanet the size of 2 Jupiters has a hidden companion disturbing its orbit

Posted by in category: alien life

Related: These nearby star systems could be good targets in the search for alien life (video)

“Both TOI-1408 b and TOI-1408 c are incredibly close to their parent star compared to the planets in our solar system,” research lead author Judith Korth of Lund University told Space.com. “Imagine our solar system, but instead, Jupiter is orbiting very close to the sun nearly every four days, one-twentieth of the period of Mercury.

This is already very close to the star, and still, we detected another planet even closer to the star that interacts strongly with its big neighbor, causing their orbits to wobble in ways we’ve never seen before.

Aug 21, 2024

This engine has travelled 200 years in time: It runs on a fuel that Edison predicted and Musk wants to develop

Posted by in category: energy

This engine was predicted by Edison 200 years ago, and now has been created: It’s neither electric nor hydrogen, but something miles ahead.

Aug 21, 2024

Houston now has its first grid-scale battery storage facility

Posted by in categories: energy, space

Jupiter Power, an Austin-based energy developer, owns and operates the project at Hiram Clarke Road and U.S. 90 at the site of the former H.O. Clarke gas-fired power plant. It’s a 200-megawatt facility, enough to power 50,000 Texas homes during the hottest summer days, with the ability to discharge power at maximum capacity for two hours.

On any given day, the Houston area must import about 60% of its needed electricity from other parts of the state where power plants are more plentiful. This often results in a phenomenon known as congestion: Low-cost electrons are clogged on power lines into Houston much like commuters on the highway during rush hour, which raises the wholesale cost of electricity in the region. These wholesale price spikes are initially paid by retail electric providers and can eventually be passed onto consumers.

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