When researching nuclear fusion, researchers have long encountered a problem with the capsules used for this purpose. Now a research team is using a curious method. It uses mayonnaise to simulate plasma flows.
Mayonnaise is supposed to save nuclear fusion. A sentence you probably didn't expect to hear today. But a US research team actually wants to use the sauce to solve a problem of nuclear fusion by firing a laser.
Fusion capsules are too unstable for nuclear fusion
Inertial fusion is the type of nuclear fusion used in the hydrogen bomb. However, it is also considered one of the possible energy sources of the future, along with the variant using magnetic confinement. In laser-based inertial fusion, the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium are enclosed in a tiny capsule.
This capsule is then bombarded with powerful lasers in a vacuum chamber. The result: temperatures in the millions and pressures in the gigapascal range. However, this creates a problem. As the hydrogen expands during this process, the metal of the capsule explodes before the actual fusion takes place. The reason for this is the unstable phase of the capsule, which causes it to start to flow.
A research team led by project leader Arindam Banerjee has taken on this structural challenge, known as “Rayleigh-Taylor instability”. In an article in the journal “Physical Review E”, Banerjee explains the current research approach to solving this problem. It involves a surprising food that many people have at home: mayonnaise.
Reading tip: Researchers have discovered a new phase of matter, possibly breaking the boundaries of physics.
Mayonnaise behaves similarly to molten metal
Banerjee explains the reason for using cold sauce in nuclear fusion research as follows: “We use mayonnaise because it behaves like a solid. However, when it is subjected to a pressure gradient, it begins to flow.” This creates similar conditions to those of the melting metal capsule.
In contrast, mayonnaise does not require extreme temperatures or pressures. A much simpler and therefore cheaper test environment is therefore sufficient to simulate the conditions for the flow of the plasma.
An interesting discovery has already been made: before the flow of the mayonnaise became unstable, it went through several phases. “Like a conventional molten metal, mayonnaise deforms when it is put under tension. However, when the tension is removed, it returns to its original shape,” and continues: “So there is an elastic phase, followed by a stable plastic phase. In the next phase, it begins to flow. This is exactly where the instability sets in.”
Source: “Transition to plastic regime for Rayleigh-Taylor instability in soft solids” (aps.com), Lehigh University
By Tim Petzerling
