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Y'all hear that we unlocked free unlimited energy?


SwimModSponges

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20 minutes ago, SwimModSponges said:

We have theoretically produced the means to unlock unlimited energy (that is, creating more energy than it causes to make the reaction).  We still need to refine the concept by repeating the experiment, downsizing the facility that creates the reaction, and harness it, all of which could take decades.

Still, this is very exciting.  Unlimited energy, clean energy mind you without pollutants or waste materials, is now no longer a pipe dream.  It’s feasible.

Edited by Jman
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1 hour ago, Top Gun said:

Viable nuclear fusion has been "40 years away" for at least the past 40 years and counting. I don't see how this announcement changes the arithmetic all that much.

The fact that they successfully performed a fusion reaction that has up until now been theoretical is still a massive leap forward.  The people responsible for this are probably all due Nobel prizes.  Actually performing the fusion successfully cannot be undersold.

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On 12/14/2022 at 6:26 PM, Jman said:

The fact that they successfully performed a fusion reaction that has up until now been theoretical is still a massive leap forward.  The people responsible for this are probably all due Nobel prizes.  Actually performing the fusion successfully cannot be undersold.

Ehh...this specific moment is not what I would qualify as a "massive leap forward," but instead a point along a gradual progression. Don't get me wrong, it's an important step along the way, but there wasn't some massive new technological leap forward that suddenly made this possible. It's more that the existing experimental setup has been refined to the point where it was able to achieve a net energy gain. Something else that's being glossed over in the general media coverage is that the net energy gain only applies to the ratio of output to supplied energy in the reaction itself. From what I've read, it took far more energy to charge the lasers used in the experiment than was actually produced by it, so this isn't exactly something that could generate net power.

I don't mean to sound like a spoilsport here, but I think it's important to put announcements like this in perspective, which mass media coverage of science topics is generally horrible at doing. This is an important step, but even in the best-case scenario we are still literally decades away from a practical deployable commercial fusion reactor.

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8 hours ago, Top Gun said:

Viable nuclear fusion has been "40 years away" for at least the past 40 years and counting. I don't see how this announcement changes the arithmetic all that much.

In all seriousness, this is an important milestone not some kind of acceleration of a timeline.

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I mean there is some inherent value in saying, "Okay this is a thing that can actually be done," since researchers weren't 100% sure it was theoretically possible. That shifts it to more of an (absurdly complex) engineering problem than a scientific one.

Oh, and while I'm being Buzz Killington, the raison d'etre for the National Ignition Facility is to provide data and experimentation for thermonuclear warheads, since it's kind of frowned upon to go blowing those up willy-nilly anymore. Granted, fission reactors had a similar original purpose, so y'know.

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We? This achievment has got to be as costly as the periodic table war itself, and just reminds me of The Man Who Fell To Earth. 

I really enjoyed the prime video spin off though.

Context:

This video goes through the history of nuclear fusion study, and scientists racing each other to create the newest most stable element. It IS long as fuck but does a bang up good job explaining nuclear physics for dummies.. and it's history, and what it means at a geopolitical scale.

This prime video series remake of the 1963 novel, and 1976 movie was dope. If you want a quick plot summary for how it's relevant to the topic check google, but I'll drop a trailer or something at least. lol nvm ya boy showtime with the full series premiere free on youtube. 🤨

Long story short you KNOW we aint getting shit for freee either way...

 

 

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1 hour ago, PhilosipherStoned said:

I know Bud don't even.. Somehow I watched that full episode again just posting it, and I must say, it was still a pretty banger of a premeire..

:ph34r:

.....I am actually watching jman and TopGun lecture each other....I didn't watch the vids you posted....They are feature length fims.  *SweetBrownGif*

Edited by cyberbully
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When I was taking Electronics in college, they had 2 different (university?) groups claim that they found the secret to "cold fusion".  Then they went silent.  Turned out they were wrong.

Hope they're right this time.  One of the Profs said that a bucket of water could power a city the size of Chicago for 2 years, or something along those lines.

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