When it's up and running, the ITER fusion reactor will be very big and very hot, with more than 800 cubic meters of hydrogen plasma reaching 170 million degrees centigrade. The systems that fuel and control it, on the other ...
Plasma Physics
Sep 9, 2015
38
75
Electric solid propellants are being explored as a safer option for pyrotechnics, mining, and in-space propulsion because they only ignite with an electric current. But because all of these applications require high heat, ...
Materials Science
Feb 12, 2020
0
14
Researchers' recent observations of a stellar-mass black hole called Cygnus X-1 reveal new details about the configuration of extremely hot matter in the region immediately surrounding the black hole.
Astronomy
Nov 3, 2022
0
284
Our sun actively produces solar flares that can impact Earth, with the strongest flares having the capacity to cause blackouts and disrupt communications—potentially on a global scale. While solar flares can be powerful, ...
Astronomy
Dec 6, 2023
0
85
Phase transitions, such as the boiling of water or the melting of a metal, are commonplace but fascinating phenomena that spur surprises decades after decades. They often occur as the temperature of a substance is changed, ...
Plasma Physics
Apr 14, 2022
3
118
Recent experiments provide the first assessment of the toughness of a novel lithium coating in the face of intense bombardment by very hot plasma in the divertor region of fusion devices. The results show that this coating ...
Plasma Physics
Nov 13, 2013
0
0
Creating controlled fusion energy entails many challenges, but one of the most basic is heating plasma – hot gas composed of electrons and charged atoms – to extremely high temperatures and then maintaining those temperatures. ...
Plasma Physics
Aug 3, 2015
0
16
Earth's aurorae, or Northern and Southern Lights, provide a dazzling light show to people living in the polar regions. Shimmering curtains of green and red undulate across the sky like a living thing. New research shows that ...
Astronomy
Jul 21, 2011
3
0
Magnetic fusion is all about managing the interface between hot plasma and ordinary materials. The strong magnetic field in a tokamak—the vessel used in this fusion approach—is a very effective insulator; it is able to ...
Plasma Physics
Oct 27, 2016
0
12
A duo of astronomers, Dr. Youichi Ohyama (Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica or ASIAA, Taiwan) and Dr. Ananda Hota (UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in the Basic Sciences or CBS, India), has discovered a ...
Astronomy
Apr 11, 2013
5
0
