Laser beams can heat up to 15 million degrees Celsius

The new high-intensity laser can heat matter to temperatures of tens of millions of degrees Celsius, like those in the core of the Sun, in just a millionth of a billionth of a second.

New laser technology can heat matter to 15 million degrees Celsius in less than a second. Photo: Twitter.

According to IFL Science, nuclear fusion occurs naturally in the cores of stars under extremely high temperatures. For example, the Sun has a core temperature of 15 million degrees Celsius. Atoms of lighter elements collide, their nuclei fuse, and heavier elements are formed. In the process, energy is released. However, to trigger this process, the nuclei must initially vibrate enough to interact with each other.

Although some physical processes inside the Sun could lower the ignition temperature needed to initiate fusion reactions, the amount of heat required would still be too high. A team of theoretical physicists at Imperial College London, UK, has found a way to overcome this problem.

In a study published in the journal Nature Communications on November 13, the researchers said their new laser technology can heat matter to temperatures at the core of the Sun in just 20 quadrillionths of a second. This is 100 times faster than the current speed in fusion experiments conducted by the US National Ignition Facility (NIF).

Most lasers target electrons inside a material, causing them to vibrate, leading to a sharp increase in temperature. The new high-intensity laser focuses on the material’s ions, using electrostatic shocks to force them to accelerate and collide at different speeds. As a result, the ions collide, creating friction and heat. The new laser technology works best on materials that contain two types of ions, such as plastic, the researchers say.

If proven effective in practice, this laser technology would deliver the fastest heating speed ever and pave the way for the rapid development of industries that use nuclear fusion reactions, such as electricity generation.

According to VnExpress