中國的“人造太陽”一度是我們太陽系中最熱的地方

中國的“人造太陽”一度是我們太陽系中最熱的地方

It appears that the light of the moon isn't the only thing China is interested in improving.

看來，月光并不是中國唯一有興趣改善的地方。

Scientists from China's Institute of Plasma Physics announced that the university's nuclear fusion machine — officially known as the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak or EAST — had successfully achieved a temperature exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius (180 million degrees Fahrenheit). That's a temperature nearly seven times hotter than the core of the sun.

中國等離子體物理研究所的科學(xué)家宣布，該大學(xué)的核聚變機(jī)——官方名稱為實驗先進(jìn)超導(dǎo)托卡馬克或東方——已經(jīng)成功達(dá)到了超過1億攝氏度(1.8億華氏度)的溫度。這個溫度幾乎是太陽核心溫度的7倍。

For a brief period of time earlier this fall, a nuclear fusion reactor in China produced temperatures nearly seven times hotter than the core of the sun. (Photo: Matej Pavlansky/Shutterstock)

It's absolutely mind-boggling to consider, but for a brief period of time the EAST reactor in China was the hottest spot in our entire solar system.

這絕對是令人難以置信的，但在很短的一段時間里，中國東部的反應(yīng)堆是我們整個太陽系中最熱的地方。

While stealing temperature records from the sun is impressive alone, the point behind the 360-metric-ton EAST fusion reactor is to push humanity ever closer to a revolution in energy production.

雖然從太陽竊取溫度記錄本身就令人印象深刻，但這座360公噸重的東聚變反應(yīng)堆背后的目的是推動人類更接近能源生產(chǎn)革命。

"It's certainly a significant step for China's nuclear fusion program and an important development for the whole world," associate professor Matthew Hole from the Australian National University told ABC News Australia. "The benefit is simple in that it is very large-scale base load [continuous] energy production, with zero greenhouse gas emissions and no long-life radioactive waste."

澳大利亞國立大學(xué)副教授馬修·霍爾在接受澳大利亞ABC新聞采訪時表示:“這無疑是中國核聚變項目的重要一步，也是全世界的重要發(fā)展。”“好處很簡單，因為它是非常大規(guī)模的基本負(fù)荷(連續(xù))能源生產(chǎn)，沒有溫室氣體排放，也沒有長壽命的放射性廢物。”

Scientists are hopeful

科學(xué)家們抱有希望

Meet China's Institute of Plasma Physics' Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak or EAST. (Photo: Institute of Plasma Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Unlike nuclear fission, which relies on the splitting of a heavy, unstable nucleus into two lighter nuclei, fusion instead squeezes two light nuclei together to unleash vast amounts of energy. It's a process that not only powers the sun (and stars in general) but is also low on radioactive waste. In fact, the main output is helium — an element that the Earth is surprisingly "light" on reserves.

核裂變依靠的是將一個重而不穩(wěn)定的原子核分裂成兩個較輕的原子核，而聚變則是將兩個較輕的原子核擠壓在一起，釋放出大量的能量。這個過程不僅為太陽(以及整個恒星)提供能量，而且還能減少放射性廢物。事實上，主要的產(chǎn)出是氦——一種地球上儲量少得驚人的元素。

Tokamaks like the one at China's Institute of Plasma Physics or, as shown in the 360-video below, at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), heat heavy isotopes of deuterium and tritium using extreme electric currents to create a charged plasma. Powerful magnets then keep this superheated gas stable, allowing scientists to raise the heat to scorching levels. For now, that process is only temporary, but scientists around the world are hopeful that the ultimate goal — a burning of plasma maintained by its own fusion reaction — is achievable.

就像中國等離子體物理研究所或麻省理工學(xué)院等離子體科學(xué)與聚變中心(PSFC)所展示的那樣，托卡馬科斯用極端電流加熱氘和氚的重同位素來產(chǎn)生帶電等離子體。強大的磁鐵使這種過熱的氣體保持穩(wěn)定，使科學(xué)家能夠把溫度提高到灼熱的水平。目前，這一過程只是暫時的，但世界各地的科學(xué)家都希望最終目標(biāo)——通過自身的聚變反應(yīng)維持等離子體的燃燒——是可以實現(xiàn)的。

According to John Wright, principal research scientist at MIT's PSFC, we're still an estimated three decades away from building a self-sustaining fusion reaction. In the meantime, progress must be made not only in maintaining the high-energy fusion reaction, but also bringing down the costs of building the reactors.

據(jù)麻省理工學(xué)院PSFC的首席研究科學(xué)家約翰·賴特(John Wright)說，我們距離建立一個自給自足的聚變反應(yīng)還有大約30年的時間。與此同時，不僅要在維持高能聚變反應(yīng)方面取得進(jìn)展，還要降低反應(yīng)堆建設(shè)成本。

"These experiments can easily happen within 30 years," Wright told Newsweek. "With luck, and societal will, we will see the first electricity generating fusion power plants before another 30 years pass. As the plasma physicist Artsimovich said: 'Fusion will be ready when society needs it.'"

“這些實驗很容易在30年內(nèi)完成，”賴特告訴《新聞周刊》。“如果幸運的話，加上社會的意愿，我們將在未來30年看到第一座核聚變發(fā)電廠。正如等離子體物理學(xué)家阿特西莫維奇(Artsimovich)所說:‘當(dāng)社會需要核聚變時，它就會出現(xiàn)。’”