Scholar’s Advanced Technological System

December 31st.

Sandia National Laboratory, New Mexico.

Several engineers in protective clothing are standing in a hemispherical device to overhaul the equipment that has cooled down.

Z-machine, this is the name of this device, also known as the z machine.

Capacitors densely packed in the device can discharge up to 1000 lightning power. As long as the switch is pressed, the current of 20 million amps will surge only in the era of the eraser-sized cylinder, violently compressing the hydrogen atoms contained therein. Limit and release the horrible fusion energy.

Affected by the demonstration reactor on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, the recent controllable fusion laboratory in the United States has been a good day.

Especially after seeing the turmoil that occurred in the energy futures market some time ago, the congressional lords finally took seriously the controllable nuclear fusion technology that they almost threw into the garbage, and no longer spent money.

In addition to the congressional lords, major energy giants have also increased their investment in the technology. However, for Sandia National Laboratories, a research institute under the Ministry of Energy, they are mainly experimenting with federal funding.

Unlike the California Nif, the z-machine is not a purely inertial constraint, but a magnetic cage formed by the inertia and high current of the fuel, which is pulsed in the microsecond time range - if you can't understand this sentence Can be simply understood as a way of binding magnetic and inertia.

Although this machine is not famous for its famous nif, it has set a world record of the world's highest temperature of 3.5 billion degrees. Even the researchers who designed the device themselves were surprised and confused by this unexpected temperature.

But to be honest, if you use dt fuel, this temperature is purely redundant. After all, if the fusion reaction takes place, 100 million degrees will be enough. Even the ideal second-generation nuclear fusion with he3 as fuel, the critical temperature is only more than 600 million, and it is not used at all.

It must be said that the difficulty in controlled fusion research has never been on heating means, but on how to maintain the constraints of high temperature plasma.

However, compared to other technical routes, the z machine has achieved at least some results in terms of power output.

Sitting in the rest area outside the lab, US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry raised his hand and looked at the table below.

Almost at the hour when the hour hand pointed to the hour, Sandian National Laboratory's chief researcher Dean Rofan appeared at the door and walked over to him.

When Luo Fan sat down opposite, Perry asked in a deep voice: "How is the result?"

Dean Rofan shook his head.

"It is still too early to ask this question. Can the material's anti-irradiation ability be solved and whether the elements in the reactor can be self-sustaining? These are the most fundamental of controllable fusion-"

Taking a deep breath, Perry interrupted him. "Listen, I need a specific time, when can you come up with visible results."

Luo Fan couldn't help but say: "You are hard to be strong! I can't give you a specific time, unless Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory can give us a time to tell us the neutron based on d-li interaction. When can the source be made?"

Perry said with a headache: "So the key to the problem now is the source of neutrons?"

"Obviously more than..." There was a bitter smile on his face. Luo Fan was silent for a while and continued. "But solving the problem of neutron source, we can at least conduct anti-irradiation testing on materials."

At this time, footsteps suddenly came from outside the rest area.

Seeing the man who hurried from the outside, Perry frowned and cast a look at him.

"what's up?"

The man in the suit took a deep breath and said with a hard expression.

"The phone on the other side of the White House, Mr. President hopes that you will go back now... There will be a very important meeting tomorrow."

"what's going on."

"I just heard that..." The man in the suit took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "The news came from our allies... After twelve hours, the demonstration pile in the state of Haizhou is about to go. Ignition test."

At the moment of hearing this sentence, Perry's pupil narrowed slightly.

And Luo Fan, who was sitting opposite him, was stunned and bounced off the chair and lost his voice.

"This is impossible!"

......

Haizhou, star demonstration reactor base.

Looking up, there is no cloud in the clear sky, and the sea is flowing down the waves, looking at the calm.

In the shore base, both the researchers and the soldiers stationed in the station are working in their respective positions in an orderly manner.

Since last night, the farthest checkpoint has been set to 20 kilometers away. With the cooperation of armored vehicles, all roads leading to this area have been blocked and all nearby tourists or pedestrians have been advised. Soldiers armed with live ammunition patrols inside and outside the base to exclude all potential threats and safety hazards.

On the night before the three days ago, the regiment-level combat units stationed in this generation used the heavy firepower and the terrorists of the flying units as imaginary enemies, and carried out various subjects including ground-to-air anti-missile and anti-ship carrier. Live bomb exercises inside.

It is no exaggeration to say that they have taken into account any possible situations and are prepared to respond adequately.

At the same time, the nuclear industry group's engineers are conducting a final inspection of the equipment in the plant where the reactor is located.

If star-1 is just a steel behemoth, then this fully assembled star-2 is a dragon armed to the teeth.

The sg-1 superconducting magnet is the legs of its running, super-computing constitutes his brain, the plasma control scheme evolved by artificial intelligence tells him how to run, and the he-3 atom probe is the eyes in front of it. The lpc-1 composite material constitutes his internal organs, and the liquid lithium that reciprocates is its blood...

In addition to these, there are so many things in it, and all of this is condensed by the efforts of countless researchers.

I am honored that this project has finally been completed.

All inspections were completed and the engineers in the building quickly left the company accompanied by security personnel.

On the other side, in the demonstration reactor control room on the other side of the base, everything is being carried out in an orderly manner.

As early as three days ago, they had completed the drill for the ignition operation. Everyone sitting here has been familiar with the safety manual and the operating instructions.

What they need to do now is to repeat what they have done three days ago on the real instrument.

"The superconducting magnet has been checked! The liquid is being injected..."

“After the liquid helium injection is completed, confirm that the temperature has reached the critical value and start to energize!”

"The current reaches a critical value..."

"The magnetic field is adjusted..."

"Inject fuel!"

Finally, the last step is reached.

As long as the icrf heating antenna is turned on, all the work is done...

Looking at the button in front of him, Lu Zhou’s heart suddenly became inexplicably awkward.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at the next Pan Academician.

"Or you just press it."

"No, still come," said Pan, who shook his head and said with a smile. "I have been satisfied with the arrival of this day in my lifetime!"

All the researchers in the control room, everyone's eyes are focused on Lu Zhou's body.

The ctv lens is facing this side, ready to press the shutter at any time.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Zhou slowly extended his right hand.

From the 863 plan to the present, the indissoluble bond between China and controllable fusion has been almost half a century. And if it is international, the technology that was born in the early 1950s is almost the same age.

And tomorrow, it is 2020.

For this day, people have been waiting too long.

Now, the key to the new world is close at hand.

No one is closer to the future than him.

The throat was slightly moved, and Lu Zhou stared at the dial on the console, facing back to the researcher at the audience, and slowly said.

"...I am honored to witness this moment with you."

“We have done all the work, and we have done our best to make everything the best.”

"No matter what the odds are, success will remember this day and remember all of us."

After that, he pressed the button.

It is like a rising sun.

In the dark reaction chamber, the hottest energy of this star system is being illuminated by the glaring light...