Cherenkov light is first observed during nuclear fusion; To look

Nuclear fusion technology company SHINE is the first time in the history of science that scientists have successfully Observe the Cherenkov light phenomenon during nuclear fusion reaction. The team gathered visual evidence of the intriguing effect; Usually bright blue Cherenkov light is observed during reactions in nuclear fission plants, but is not common during fusion.

To carry out the reaction, SHINE’s proprietary system used two types of hydrogen atoms: deuterium and tritium. Using these materials, the team directed a deuterium beam to hit the tritium at high speed, thereby starting the reaction in a water-containing environment. In this way they were able to observe Cherenkov’s light.

What is the Cherenkov light?

Cherenkov light, also known as the Cherenkov effect or Cherenkov radiation, a phenomenon caused by a charged particle that can move faster than the speed of light in a given medium; in this case, in the water.

The scientists explain that the particle doesn’t move exactly faster than light: light turns out to be about 25% slower in water than in a vacuum. From a certain reaction in this environment, scientists were able to accelerate the particles to more than 225 thousand kilometers per second and achieve the Cherenkov effect.

“Normally, to see this with the naked eye you would have to be looking at nuclear fission reactor cores or spent fission nuclear fuel. This is important because we were able to show steady-state melting rates at much higher levels than previously demonstrated. Greg Piefer, Founder and CEO of SHINE, said: “This is the first time a fusion reaction has produced visible Cherenkov radiation,” he said. IFLscience.

Cherenkov light

In an official statement on the discovery, SHINE explains that nuclear fusion is usually detected with certain instruments, not visible light. Using a submerged target chamber in the company’s fusion system, the scientists were able to generate and detect visible Cherenkov radiation.

Cherenkov light is described as a form of energy that glows bright blue when particles move faster than light through a medium such as water. Shine’s aim is to study the technology to produce fusion energy with quality and safety.

“The Cherenkov radiation effect produced here was bright enough to be seen, which means there is a lot of fusion, about 50 trillion merges per second. At a billion merges per second, you can have measurable Cherenkov radiation, but not visible amounts. Gerald Kulcinski, Professor of Nuclear Engineering and USA, “These results are strong evidence of functioning nuclear processes and further proof that fusion can produce neutrons on par with some reactors,” said the Director of Fusion Technology at the University of Wisconsin.

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