The bartender says "for you, no charge"
For all my nerds out there
Obviously with current technology this task is basically impossible, we don’t even have viable technology to build any kind of megastructures. However, could humanity one day in the far future build a megastructure similar to a Dyson Sphere (or swarm), and harness the power of a Neutron Star? (Magnetar in this case)
Just so I understand the process of the origin of neutron stars correctly, and overly simplify the process: when a larger star has its hydrogen exhausted, gravity wins the balance and tightens the core, forcing helium to fuse into heavier elements, until it reaches iron. Iron has no energy to give, so the core implodes in a supernova explosion. If gravity is too overwhelming, it creates a black hole. If the Star is small enough to fight gravity so that it doesn’t collapse into a black hole, it becomes a neutron Star. Newly formed neutron stars can start off as Magnetars.
I’ve learned that Magnetars can spin many times per second, and have an electromagnetic field a thousand trillion times stronger than earth’s. Not only is the neutron star extremely energetic, but it spews tons of radiation through its poles (correct?). Would it even be possible to capture this radiation and use it as energy? Would a Dyson Sphere (or swarm) be more efficient?
Sorry if my question(s) makes no logical sense or is plain stupid. I’m trying my best to wrap my head around these questions I have
The bartender replied, “For you, no charge.”
Wednesday night (2/2), 8-11 pm EST, physicist Dr. Ted Kolberg will be the guest on Ask_a_Scientist_Gaming.
In addition to being a physics professor at FSU, Dr. Kolberg is a member of the large, general purpose particle collider experiment CMS at the CERN LHC. They probe the laws of nature at the very highest energy particle collisions ever produced in the lab. Their two main interests are: 1) that long-standing problems with the Standard Model of particle physics can be resolved by the existence of exotic long-lived particles, and 2) designing and constructing the next generation of instrument upgrades that will extend the capabilities of the experiment to make new discoveries.
If you can’t make the live stream, feel free to leave your question in the comments and we will get them answered. Then follow up with our YouTube channel where we will post the video.
I have a question regarding a potential fusion cycle, and would like those more knowledgable than me to shoot it down. The plan calls for taking a beam of nitrogen ions, combining it with a source of muons, and directing it at a solid target of protium. The proposal is similar to inertial confinement fusion, but with the addition of a catalyst. Essentially the idea goes like this- the major issue with muon catalysed fusion is the alpha sticking fraction; the alpha particle is a heavier nucleus with a greater charge than the hydrogen isotopes, and as such will tend to bind muons, making them unavailable for further reactions. Thus, we bind the muons to a much heavier nucleus, say nitrogen, ionised right down to the point where there are no electrons left. When the single muonic nitrogen nuclei impact a protium target, they will catalyse fusion reactions via the CNO cycle that predominates in larger stars. Each catalyst nucleon can bind 4 protons before spitting out a high energy alpha particle and being regenerated. The alpha sticking fraction is now avoided- the catalyst nucleon will have a much higher affinity for the muon than the smaller alpha particle, hence the alpha sticking fragment will be negligible, and is likely to remain bound for the entirety of its lifetime. According to an old scientific paper I read, muon catalysed fusion is achingly close to net energy production in DT mixtures, each muon needs to catalyse around 300 fusions for net energy gain but the alpha sticking fraction is about 1 in 150. By contrast, a muon in its lifetime can catalyse over 900 fusions.
Im not qualified in this area, but i can see several problems with my proposal.
First, the electron sticking proplem. The catalyst will be strongly electrophillic, and the second the heavy nucleon picks up an electron the muon will be shielded from taking part in further reactions. Im aware that some inertial confinement schemes use a petawatt laser to drive off electrons before the main driving laser that force the nuclei closer together; would that be possible here? Timed beam pulses, laser then catalyst?
Second, I know of no mechanism by which a beam of muonic nitrogens may be constructed.
Third, the rate of muon catalysed DT fusion turned out to be unexpectedly high due an energy resonance that made formation of a muonic DT molecule much more likely. I know of no such resonance regarding the formation of a muonic protium nitrogen molecule.
Finally, the coulomb barrier is fa
... keep reading on reddit ➡Might be the wrong sub, let me know if so
So I was reading about neutron stars, and theoretically they would have a massive and very strong magnetic field. Do you guys think it would be feasible to have a spaceship with massive copper (or other conductor) windings around it, which could use a neutron star as a massive energy source? It could fall into orbit around the star, and its orbit would provide the motion, so it would effectively be like a massive generator. This could either be used as a power source for the ship - it hopping between neutron stars and being able to use basically any sci-fi FTL way of movement since it would have essentially infinite power, if it needed more it could just fall into a tighter orbit where it would spin faster - or as a permanent power source with a satellite constellation of coils interconnected via lasers or other wireless energy transfer. Just thought this was a cool idea that I haven't seen anyone think of before.
The bartender looks at him and says "For you, no charge."
