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Ohio State University begins testing 500-terawatt laser on May 15th


Casper

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http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/24/2971097/ohio-state-university-500-terawatt-laser-test

The laser is fired at a pellet of deuterum-tritium ice less than a centimeter in diameter, which has a density 300 times greater than water. As the beam hits it, the center of the pellet will heat up to 50 million degrees Kelvin, theoretically triggering a fusion reaction.
"When this happens, and it’s going to be measured in months not years, it will be a major watershed event. This is a very exciting time." - Professor Richard Freeman

Ohio-laser.png

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Well, at least if you find any trees on campus with big holes burned in them you know where it came from. :rolleyes: Or maybe a house full of popcorn:lol:

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goddamnit, beaten to the Real Genius reference.

My hat's off to you.

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what the hell is a jigawatt?

that's a new unit of measure created solely to accurately depict the amount of energy created by jay-z's narcissism. it is now being used for good, not evil

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Deuterium fusion reactor. It's not for producing a laser beam, it's for using a laser beam to generate energy and convert it to usable power.

The US Navy was working on one of these back in the 80s, to power up battle lasers on the deck of the ship. It takes a LOT of power on demand to do that. If the ship doesn't have a nuclear reactor, it would need something like this. Or even if it does have a reactor. (I know, that would be producing a laser beam.)

Don't ask me why they spelled deuterium wrong, I have no clue...

Wiki definition:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_power

And here's a guy building one at home. Power out isn't any greater than power in, yet.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-06/deuterium-diy-man-builds-homemade-nuclear-fusion-reactor-brooklyn

Btw, tritium is hydrogen-3 and difficult to find on the Earth. It's produced as a byproduct of nuclear reactors. Only about 500 pounds of it have been made since 1955. It decays into helium-3, which the Moon is covered with on it's surface. It's a fuel source, but you have to go get it and bring it back.

Edited by ReconRat
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