From Almighty Scholar to Chief Scientist

The irradiation experiments to be carried out on these special tungsten blocks are naturally neutron irradiation experiments.

Although neutrons cannot be controlled, scientists can control the collision path of neutrons by controlling where they are emitted.

As we all know, in the process of nuclear fission, the initial stage is to absorb a neutron by heavy nuclear atoms such as uranium, thorium, and plutonium, and then start to produce fission reactions.

Just like in a nuclear fission power plant, the uranium [-] in the fission reactor undergoes fission reaction in this way.

So this means that there are substances capable of producing neutron sources. In nuclear fission power plants, californium-252 neutron sources are generally used.

There are quite a lot of places in China that can do this kind of neutron irradiation experiment, but because they want to conduct a large dose of neutron irradiation experiment to simulate the real nuclear fusion reaction environment as much as possible, so Lin Xiao They finally chose the Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry in Cotton City.

When they contacted the institute, the institute was naturally more than happy to provide it.

Of course, facing the cooperation proposed by the Golden Crow Project, and this institute is engaged in nuclear physics research, they have no reason to refuse.

So after making contact and confirming the time to use the laboratory, Lin Xiao personally brought the people and the 21 samples to the Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry.

After arriving here, there was no banquet or entertainment, and the neutron irradiation experiment officially started.

"All the samples are in place, the neutron source is also ready, and the irradiation test can start at any time."

A staff member said, then looked at Lin Xiao next to him, and asked, "Mr. Lin, can we start now?"

Lin Xiao nodded and said, "No need to wait, let's start now."

"Okay, start now! Start the neutron source!"

The staff member immediately picked up the walkie-talkie and said.

Subsequently, other staff in the laboratory immediately followed suit and started the neutron source.

Then, in the experimental instrument, neutrons are emitted from the neutron source, and because the interior is a vacuum state, these neutrons can rampage inside.

And some of the neutrons may directly hit the twenty or so samples.

Although there are only 21 samples, the control group is naturally indispensable, so seven ordinary tungsten plates are added to it.

In this way, they can measure the difference in the DPA value of these different materials.

Lin Xiao, on the other hand, has been looking forward to this for a long time.

Of course, it is inevitable that some people still have doubts about Lin Xiao's experiment.

Just like now, Zhang Ran, the director of the Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry who was standing beside Lin Xiao and also watching the experiment, was very puzzled: "Academician Lin, why are you using these tungsten blocks? What are they for? ?"

Hearing this question, Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Tungsten plate, what do you think it can be used for?"

"I knew they were used as the inner wall of your nuclear fusion tokamak device, but as far as I know, although tungsten plates are relatively powerful compared to other materials, they are really used in your controllable nuclear fusion reaction If you go, it's still choking enough, right?"

Zhang Ran was puzzled.

"really."

Lin Xiao nodded with a smile, but then stopped talking.

Zhang Ran couldn't help being even more puzzled, but seeing that Lin Xiao seemed unwilling to say more, he had no choice but to give up in the end.

After all, the Golden Crow Project also involves state secrets. In other words, there are not many people who belong to their research institute in the experiments here, and they are basically people brought over by Lin Xiao from the Golden Crow Project.

And even he signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Maybe Lin Xiao is experimenting with some secret technology now.

So it's better to ask less. The more you know, the greater the possibility of inadvertently leaking secrets.

Lin Xiao, who was next to him, saw that Zhang Ran did not continue to ask, and nodded slightly.

After all, what was going to be experimented this time was the most critical material technology, so basically he didn't reveal too much, and there were no more than ten insiders, including four people like Kang Chengning.

Of course, because of this, other people basically don't know what he is doing with these tungsten blocks, especially these tungsten blocks that have already participated in nuclear fusion reactions and are basically useless, especially It is also more or less doped with a little radiation, which is not only useless but also harmful.

But, Lin Xiaoke won't reveal the role of it to them.

As a result, the laboratory returned to silence, only the sound of some operating computers remained.

As time passed, the irradiation test was carried out quietly for an hour.

Lin Xiao looked at the time, and then said: "It has been an hour of irradiation, let's check the DPA value first."

"Ok."

The staff in the laboratory responded immediately, then stopped the reaction, and then began to detect the DPA value.

The lower the DPA value, the better of course, because it means the average dislocation value of the atoms in the unit.

As for the measurement of this value, it is enough to do it in this research institute. After all, this kind of neutron irradiation experiment itself is used to detect the DPA value. Of course, they have corresponding detection devices here.

So soon, a researcher counted all the results, and then came to Lin Xiao's side in surprise, and said excitedly: "Mr. Lin, we have confirmed that under the current injected radiation dose, the control The average DPA value of the ordinary tungsten blocks in the group is around 0.024, while the average DPA value of samples 1-21 is around 0.016! As for the difference between individuals, the worst is 0.021, and the best is only There is 0.011!"

0.011!

There is a full difference of 0.024 between 0.013 and [-]!

And the average DPA value has reached the level of 0.016!
In terms of proportion, these 21 samples are 50.00% stronger than ordinary tungsten plates on average!
And the tallest individual among them is twice as strong!
Doesn't this mean that these tungsten plates that have resisted the bombardment of high-energy neutrons in the nuclear fusion reaction have become more resistant to the bombardment of neutrons as if they have been successfully strengthened.

Although this situation seems a bit unbelievable, the actual measured DPA value is right in front of their eyes!

The tallest one has become more than twice as strong!
Among the people who came with Lin Xiao this time, Kang Chengning was also included. After hearing the result, he also became extremely excited.

After all, the four of them discovered this material at the beginning. As the first discoverers, they must be able to enjoy various honors for it.

Of course, they are all insiders, so they are happy in their hearts, but for someone like Zhang Ran who doesn't know, it seems a bit outrageous.

He looked at the result in disbelief, and then asked Lin Xiao next to him: "Academician Lin, what's going on here? The material is more resistant to neutron irradiation?"

"What's the point of this?"

He is not Miss Li, how is this possible?

"This question..."

When he heard Zhang Ran's question, Lin Xiao touched his chin, as if he was thinking seriously, and said very seriously after a while: "Director Zhang, I don't know if you have heard a sentence called 'cannonballs will never will land in the same place'?"

Zhang Ran was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"It means that maybe these tungsten blocks that have been bombarded by neutrons are actually because of this sentence, because they have been bombarded by neutrons, so neutrons will not bombard them again?"

Lin Xiao's serious appearance, coupled with the abilities he had shown in the past, made him think for a while that Lin Xiao was not joking, so he thought about it seriously.

But after a while, Zhang Ran came to his senses, and said speechlessly, "Academician Lin, you...you were just joking, I almost took it seriously."

What neutrons will not hit a place, their neutron bombardment doses are calculated in mol, but what you need to know is that 1 mol contains one Avogadro constant number of particles, and in the face of this dose of bombardment, He didn't think that would happen.

And Lin Xiao laughed and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just a joke."

Then he said: "Of course, although looking at it now, the result is still very gratifying, but what we want to solve is the problem of nuclear fusion neutron bombardment, and it is not enough to just increase it twice."

"This is also..."

Zhang Ran nodded.

The maximum increase is only a little more than two times. For the actual controllable nuclear fusion reaction, even twenty times is probably not enough.

These tungsten plates can persist for an hour here because they cannot simulate the hundreds of millions of temperatures in the tokamak device here, and the neutrons emitted by the neutron source are not like the ones carried by deuterium-tritium fusion as high as 14.1MeV energy.

According to calculations, neutrons carrying 14.1 MeV energy are actually equivalent to the energy carried at 14.1 billion degrees. That is to say, if a large number of neutrons with [-] MeV energy are aggregated together, what they will show macroscopically is A temperature of hundreds of billions of degrees.

Therefore, in controlled nuclear fusion, these tungsten plates cannot last for too long.

Perhaps under the continuous bombardment of neutrons, the connection between its internal strong force and electromagnetic force will be interrupted, and finally it will become fragile again, just like the strengthening failure and the props being destroyed.

"That means that your experiment failed?"

Zhang Ran couldn't help asking.

Although Lin Xiao didn't say anything, but through the results of these experiments, he could roughly guess what Lin Xiao and the others were experimenting with.

If it's only twice as strong, it basically means that it doesn't have much effect.

But Lin Xiao just smiled, nodded and replied after a long while: "Well, it must be considered a failure."

"That would be a pity." Zhang Ran sighed, and said, "You guys are really not easy to study."

"really."

Lin Xiao nodded again, but the corners of his mouth curled up again.

Has it failed?

In fact, it was a huge success.

Because this neutron irradiation experiment has verified his original idea.

And what to do next, he is already very clear.

"Okay, let's do a longer-term irradiation experiment next, and let's see how these materials perform under longer-term irradiation."

He ordered it again, but then handed over other tasks to others, and then left the laboratory by himself, returning to the hotel to conduct more important research.