Scientists have worked out how to 'see' where energy is delivered during fast ignition, a process where hundreds of lasers are used to compress a small amount of fusion fuel inside a plastic capsule, before a high-intensity laser is delivered that ignites the fuel. When the beam is directed at the target, it creates high-energy electrons that hit the copper and make them emit X-rays the scientists can see. Scientists used copper inside the capsule so that once the laser beam hit the compressed fuel, X-ray emissions were given off allowing them to analyse the flow of energy. The images allow the scientists to work on new techniques to improve the delivery of energy by up to four times the compressed fuel target inside the plastic capsule. Researchers at the University of Manchester and the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in London have developed an innovative way to see what happens when light passes through a material called graphene.
Scientists have worked out how to 'see' where energy is delivered during fast ignition, a process where hundreds of lasers are used to compress a small amount of fusion fuel inside a plastic capsule, before a high-intensity laser is delivered that ignites the fuel. Scientists used copper inside the capsule so that once the laser beam hit the compressed fuel, X-ray emissions were given off allowing them to analyse the flow of energy. The images allow the scientists to work on new techniques to improve the delivery of energy by up to four times the compressed fuel target inside the plastic capsule. Researchers at the University of Manchester and the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in London have developed an innovative way to see what happens when light passes through a material called graphene.