Ripping Particles From Space: How Close Are We?
Oct 2nd 2018
We are familiar with E=mc2, but what did Albert Einstein really theorize with this? The thought that matter and energy are interchangeable is what he proposed, and we may be closer to it than we once thought. Chinese scientists are toeing the line of what is called “breaking the vacuum” where lasers are responsible for taking particles from empty space!
Vacuums are a critical part in how we can understand and theorize phenomenons in physics, and at HyVac, we manufacture the leading vacuum parts including the nw25, responsible for scientific innovation and our understanding of what we can and can’t see in front of us! Learn more about “breaking the vacuum” in today’s physics musing!
The Physics Phenomenon, “Breaking the Vacuum”
The Chinese have the scientific lab called the Superintense Ultrafast Laser Facility (SULF) which was the first facility to to create a laser pulse of five petawatts, which is the equivalent of five million billion watts and there goal is to reach 10 petawatts by the end of 2018! This pulse carries over 1,000 times more energy of every electrical grid in the world, yet only lasts for less than one-trillionth of a second. With even more effervescence, they are now building a site to house a 100 petawatt laser affectionately known as the Station of Extreme Light (SEL). If they are successful in this endeavor, the 100-PW has the ability to rip electrons and positrons from space. Whoa, let that sit in!
SEL is aimed to convert light into matter, effectively reversing the process we use to convert light and heat into matter to manufacture nuclear weapons.
So why create such an environment?
The SEL is valuable to physicists because it can create conditions that aren’t found on Earth, which allows scientists to research their effects. The SEL can tear space in a manner of ways — they could use one laser beam focused in an empty space in a vacuum chamber, or use two beams to create more energy. It is theorized that when two beams are used, there is a potential for photons to scatter when the two collide. It also poses the possibility for the beams to tear the electrons and allow the photon’s to move around from the freed electrons and develop into high-energy gamma rays.
What are high-energy gamma rays?
These rays are only theoretical as of yet, but if they were manifested in an experiment through a facility such as SULF, they could reveal the source of cosmic rays. With this kind of energy, scientists would be able to manipulate matter in space and also be able to determine how matter in space is connected, giving us a better understanding of the bigger picture of the universe we exist in.
While the Chinese are getting closer to creating a 100-PW laser, they aren’t the only ones. Romania, Russia, Japan, and the Czech Republic are also after such an accomplishment.
Why is a 100-PW even important?
Recently, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine asked for a call to action to get at least one high-powered laser up and running, ready for scientific discovery. The US is not a contender for a 100-PW laser, but at the Optical Parametric Amplifier Line (OPAL) facility, they are conjuring a 75-PW laser!
Will we see SULF break the vacuum this year with an a high-powered laser? This would be advantageous for science and set the stage for amazing scientific discovery!
If we are going to see a 100-PW laser late this year or in early 2019, vacuum conditions will be needed! At HyVac, we make vacuum fittings such as the nw25, to power the most exciting and critical scientific exploration.