Force Field Invented
AgentOrange
Join Date: 2002-11-18 Member: 9244Members
Join Date: 2002-11-18 Member: 9244Members
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">No, really!</div> <a href='http://www.aip.org/enews/physnews/2003/split/640-2.html' target='_blank'>http://www.aip.org/enews/physnews/2003/spl...plit/640-2.html</a>
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Number 640 #2, June 5, 2003 by Phil Schewe, James Riordon, and Ben Stein
A plasma valve, a device that uses electrically charged particles to act as a barrier between air and vacuum, has been invented by a Brookhaven-Argonne collaboration. These two DOE labs joined forces to provide a needed component for Argonne's Advanced Photon Source and similar facilities worldwide. Inside the walls of accelerators, synchrotrons and storage rings, a good vacuum--empty space mostly devoid of matter--enables particle beams to travel unimpeded for hours. However, if a leak causes air to rush into the vacuum, the particle beam spreads out and deposits its energy onto surrounding walls, disrupting the beam and damaging valuable equipment. The faster the leak can be closed, the less damage will be done to the walls. The plasma valve, which has no moving parts, can activate in a nanosecond, a million times faster than mechanical valves. To keep air from rushing in, the Brookhaven-Argonne team create a dense, high-temperature plasma (collection of charged particles) held together by electric and magnetic fields. Housed inside a hollow copper cylinder, the plasma reaches a temperature of 15,000 degrees Kelvin (about 50 times greater than room temperature)--making the plasma particles bounce around so vigorously that they collide with air molecules and prevent them from passing into the vacuum. Moreover, the valve's confining electromagnetic fields prevent the plasma itself from rushing into the vacuum. (Brookhaven press release, May 28). A much faster, more complex version of a previously introduced "plasma window" (see New Scientist, 12 April 2003), the plasma valve is the latest example of novel uses of plasma for particle-beam applications; other recent ones include plasma acceleration of antimatter (Update 634), a plasma lens (Update 508), and plasma deflection of high-energy beams (Update 540).<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->
Number 640 #2, June 5, 2003 by Phil Schewe, James Riordon, and Ben Stein
A plasma valve, a device that uses electrically charged particles to act as a barrier between air and vacuum, has been invented by a Brookhaven-Argonne collaboration. These two DOE labs joined forces to provide a needed component for Argonne's Advanced Photon Source and similar facilities worldwide. Inside the walls of accelerators, synchrotrons and storage rings, a good vacuum--empty space mostly devoid of matter--enables particle beams to travel unimpeded for hours. However, if a leak causes air to rush into the vacuum, the particle beam spreads out and deposits its energy onto surrounding walls, disrupting the beam and damaging valuable equipment. The faster the leak can be closed, the less damage will be done to the walls. The plasma valve, which has no moving parts, can activate in a nanosecond, a million times faster than mechanical valves. To keep air from rushing in, the Brookhaven-Argonne team create a dense, high-temperature plasma (collection of charged particles) held together by electric and magnetic fields. Housed inside a hollow copper cylinder, the plasma reaches a temperature of 15,000 degrees Kelvin (about 50 times greater than room temperature)--making the plasma particles bounce around so vigorously that they collide with air molecules and prevent them from passing into the vacuum. Moreover, the valve's confining electromagnetic fields prevent the plasma itself from rushing into the vacuum. (Brookhaven press release, May 28). A much faster, more complex version of a previously introduced "plasma window" (see New Scientist, 12 April 2003), the plasma valve is the latest example of novel uses of plasma for particle-beam applications; other recent ones include plasma acceleration of antimatter (Update 634), a plasma lens (Update 508), and plasma deflection of high-energy beams (Update 540).<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!
Comments
But that is soo cool anyway.. imagine touching something that burns at 15,000 kalvin
I think the high heat involved is what will kill it. Imagine if you built a "valve" that was like 15 meters in diameter... the heat would be staggering to say the least! <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> but still cool.. its a great first step yes?
"Hey dude, what's that hissing noise?"
"I dunno man"
*technical geezers enter*
"I'd run"
"Why?"
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM*
"Oh dear, my face appears to be on the ground"
Could it stop, say, a bullet fired from a handgun?
Leave it to Nem to crush our hopes and dreams.
Oh, on the contrary - all I'm trying to say is that the idea of 'forcefields' is not as sci-fi as you should believe and that this is yet another practical use of a well developed, albeit widely ignored, kind of technology.
Oh, on the contrary - all I'm trying to say is that the idea of 'forcefields' is not as sci-fi as you should believe and that this is yet another practical use of a well developed, albeit widely ignored, kind of technology. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I was thinking the same thing - electromagnetic force fields have been around for a while now.
Hmm
/me gets ideas about electric fences made of electric tf's