Nuclear fusion with a net gain in power would change the world we live in, the thought that an emulsion of eggs and oil could help make that dream a reality is intriguing to say the least.
Human beings are resourceful creatures and we often find genuinely out-of-the-box solutions to problems. In a previous post we covered how scientists are using dental floss in quantum computers because of its unique ability to not become entangled at freezing temperatures. Similarly, in another post we covered the story of the first researcher to use a GPU (that was only used for games at the time) instead of a CPU to train an AI algorithm to recognize cats. The rest, of course, is history.
In this new post, we’re talking about nuclear fusion with a net gain in power, something that is still unattainable and could create free energy for the whole world. We’re also talking about how mayonnaise (yes, like in your Shawarma) is helping researchers understand the problems related to dealing with molten metals at insanely high temperatures.
Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
Before we get into the details of the role that mayonnaise plays in nuclear fusion research, it’s important to know the problem it is being used to solve. Nuclear fusion is basically the fusing of 2 atomic nuclei in the presence of plasma, kind of what happens in the sun and stars. The new atom is lighter than the 2 original ones and the extra mass is converted to energy (lots of it). Now since nuclei typically repel each other, you need sun or star level temperatures and pressures to make them fuse together. In a method called inertial confinement, a metal casing is used as plasma to effectively envelope the two atoms (isotopes of hydrogen in this case) that are to be fused together.
These plasma pellets are then targeted by lasers causing the gas trapped inside to reach about 222 million degrees celsius. While this process works well to simulate the conditions in the sun and stars, the problem is that the metal pellets that encase the gas isotopes end up exploding before any fusion actually happens. This is because the heavy isotopes of gas inside expand too quickly, causing the shell to explode before it has a chance to turn molten. This problem is also referred to as the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability, and is what a team of researchers aims to solve with mayonnaise. Led by professor Arindam Banerjee, a team of researchers from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania aim to study the different phases that the molten metal goes through before becoming unstable.
Mayonnaise and Molten Metal
This would be extremely difficult under normal conditions as you require extreme temperatures to get metal to melt and behave like plasma. In a eureka moment (of sorts ), however, the team decided to use mayonnaise as a room-temperature substitute for molten metals because apparently it behaves exactly like metal that’s been heated to millions of degrees celsius. To quote professor Banerjee: “As with a traditional molten metal, if you put a stress on mayonnaise, it will start to deform. But if you remove the stress, it goes back to its original shape.” He then goes on to explain how there are three phases during which mayonnaise goes from elastic, to plastic, to unstable. The molten metal that’s used to encapsulate the isotopes of hydrogen also goes through the same three phases when targeted by the lasers.
With the help of a rotating wheel that’s used to accelerate the mayonnaise from phase one elastic phase, to phase two plastic phase (stable), and finally phase 3 unstable (goes boom), scientists can now study these phases at room temperature. The goal here is to study and monitor the minute changes that take place before the plasma goes from one phase to another which could then help researchers understand how to arrest such changes and make the plasma more stable. Unlike actual molten metal that’s used in nuclear fusion reactors, a jar of mayonnaise costs about $2, is a lot less dangerous to work with, doesn’t require high powered lasers to change phases, and is readily available.
Elastic recovery
According to professor Banerjee, the research has been successful in finding the conditions under which “elastic recovery” (bringing the plasma from phase 3 back to phase 2) is possible. Additionally they have also started studying ways to maximize the elastic phase in order to delay or even completely avoid phase 3 (boom) altogether. Nuclear fusion with a net gain in power would change the world we live in, creating limitless free energy for everyone on the planet and disrupting a lot of industries that we rely on for energy right now. While it might be a challenge to adapt the data and translate the insights from mayonnaise to molten metal, the thought that an emulsion of eggs and oil could change the world is intriguing to say the least.
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