SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, NY, as the site for a planned major new nuclear physics research facility.
The Electron Ion Collider (EIC), to be designed and constructed over ten years at an estimated cost between $1.6 and $2.6 billion, will smash electrons into protons and heavier atomic nuclei in an effort to penetrate the mysteries of the “strong force” that binds the atomic nucleus together.
“The EIC promises to keep America in the forefront of nuclear physics research and particle accelerator technology, critical components of overall U.S. leadership in science,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette. “This facility will deepen our understanding of nature and is expected to be the source of insights ultimately leading to new technology and innovation.”
“America is in the golden age of innovation, and we are eager to take this next step with EIC. The EIC will not only ensure U.S. leadership in nuclear physics, but the technology developed for EIC will also support potential tremendous breakthroughs impacting human health, national competiveness, and national security,” said Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar. “We look forward to our continued world-leading scientific discoveries in conjunction with our international partners.”
The EIC’s high luminosity and highly polarized beams will push the frontiers of particle accelerator science and technology and provide unprecedented insights into the building blocks and forces that hold atomic nuclei together.
(Score: 3, Funny) by JoeMerchant on Monday January 13 2020, @08:27PM (9 children)
What kinds of bombs can we make based on a better understanding of the strong force?
Fission is basically random collisions breeding more random collisions in an environment of lots of heavy/less-than-stable nuclei, when runaway growth of collisions happens: BOOM. We can even control the intensity of the random reactions so they don't BOOM and we just get useful amounts of heat: nifty.
Fusion is basically squishing light nuclei together to make heavier nuclei + energy - presently using a fission BOOM to achieve the squish (or the gravity of the sun...), and about all we get from it, presently, is just a bigger - slightly less dirty BOOM.
So, are we really close enough to understanding the strong force to do something less random than the above? And, does it have potential to be anything other than a new kind of BOOM in this century?
Of course: BOOM is worth a lot, I'd even credit BOOM with ending world wars, but - are we after a more economical BOOM or just worried that "the others" might figure out the new BOOM before we do?
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Hartree on Tuesday January 14 2020, @12:44AM
"H has become a most ominous letter. It means something bigger, if not something better."
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday January 14 2020, @01:03AM (5 children)
As a first approximation, that would be the Yukawa's one [wikipedia.org].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 14 2020, @01:38AM (4 children)
That needs to be translated into units of Megatons per Megadollar: infrastructure buildup cost, per unit build cost, per year maintenance cost, per BOOM delivery cost, no BOOM disposal cost, etc.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday January 14 2020, @02:31AM (3 children)
Those are questions the Electron Ion Collider of Brookhaven National Laboratory is supposed to answer.
Of course, after some $3T to $5T
are wast... errrr... are spentoverbu... errr... extra on design improvements (yes, that's the proper wording) and 3-or-more 2-full-term-presidencies (Trump's not included) later that the initial estimation.(Large grin)
PS: Until then, enjoy the America's golden age of innovation... ah, yes, and don't get bored of winning. MAGA!
(still grinning)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 14 2020, @02:54AM (2 children)
I mean, if it could do something really cool like a beam weapon that can dissociate most or all nuclei within a large radius - turning whatever it hits into Hydrogen and free Neutrons, that would be worth a few Trillion for the Shock and Awe value, amirite?
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday January 14 2020, @03:35AM (1 child)
Uh... I suppose it may be achievable, if you designate the entirety of MT, ID, OR and WA as the deployment site**, wait 3 full presidency-terms between reloads and define the "large radius" values in the order of 10-1m range.
Additionally, it is likely to require building a vacuum tube with unobtainium walls between the emitter and the designated target (to minimize the "in-flight" losses and make sure collateral damage is at reasonable levels - i.e. sub human-species extinction). And of course everyone understands this tube is not included in the estimated budget.
On the plus side, it will totally solve the unemployment problem: everybody without a job will be required to pedal 8h/day to help charge that energy storage.
--
**
- at the current volumetric power/energy densities, a bit of space for storing the energy required for a hit will be needed
- the extra bit of altitude will help with the distance to the horizon; ... and...
- of course all the water there to keep everything cool until firing. For better robustness, consider pumping half of the Mississippi flow in case of emergency (the sea water is too corrosive, and desalinating it too energy intensive)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 14 2020, @02:39PM
Nah, space is mostly empty, even solid lead... fire away into the atmosphere, make a rippin' plasma torch - maybe a light saber - of course the Gen1 prototype will need a massive building behind it to supply the energy to fire a minimal beam, but even a minimal beam fired into the atmosphere should reach hundreds of meters or more before encountering nuclei in its path.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday January 14 2020, @02:04AM (1 child)
Credit for BOOM ending wars?
maybe not [thenation.com]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 3, Touché) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 14 2020, @02:51AM
Not ending a WAR, ending all WARS - better than the WAR to end all WARS did in 1918.
Sure, we've still got wars, but nothing that even moves into double digit GDP shares anymore.
🌻🌻 [google.com]