1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 450 A new era of nuclear physics! Particle accelerator! Bruce, the "Father of Nuclear Physics"!

When chemists read the papers on nuclear fusion, they shouted that the alchemists had been resurrected and artificial elements were about to be realized.

Even the title of "Lord of Elements" spread.

But these chemists are very bitter inside.

Because the nuclear reaction equation of nuclear fusion does not belong to a chemical reaction.

A chemical reaction is a process in which atoms rearrange themselves to form new substances.

During this process, the atoms of the element themselves do not undergo any changes.

For example, hydrogen and oxygen react to produce water.

The hydrogen atom in the water molecule and the hydrogen atom in the hydrogen gas molecule are the same hydrogen atom, and there is no change before and after the reaction.

But the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium is different.

In this process, the hydrogen atoms disappeared forever and all turned into helium atoms.

So, this is a physical nuclear reaction process, not a chemical reaction.

In this era, the instruments needed for atomic structure research are the most advanced and top-notch.

And you need to make a lot of equipment yourself.

Even most physicists can't handle the instruments and equipment needed for nuclear fusion.

Not to mention chemists.

How can the bottle and jar experiments be compared in difficulty with nuclear physics experiments?

This left chemists completely confused.

The method of turning stone into gold is very good, but unfortunately they don’t know how to use it.

Therefore, the work on artificial elements can only be done by physicists.

In real history, the first artificial element [technetium] was created by American physicist Lawrence.

He then sent the new element to two chemists in Italy for identification.

“Hey, it’s just been made.”

"Go test whether it is element 43."

Chemists are so humble in front of physicists.

Because Lawrence invented an amazing instrument in the field of nuclear physics.

Cyclotron!

The biggest function of this instrument, which he first proposed the concept and developed, is to accelerate particles.

It can accelerate microscopic particles to nearly the speed of light!
According to the mass-energy equation, the particles at this time have huge energy, which is enough to cause a nuclear fusion reaction after the two particles collide.

Therefore, Lawrence was the first person in the world to create artificial elements.

He also won the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics for this.

Lawrence, who is only 19 years old this year, is still an undergraduate student majoring in physics at the University of South Dakota.

Several years later, he would meet his most important alumnus, Oppenheimer, at the University of California, Berkeley.

Oppenheimer was only 16 years old at the time and was still a talented American high school student.

During Li Qiwei's trip to the United States, neither of them had the opportunity to listen to the speech.

But in the near future, they will be able to witness the extraordinary talent of Professor Bruce.

In short, chemists have a love-hate relationship with nuclear fusion.

What I love is that the periodic table will undergo earth-shaking changes.

The annoying thing is, all these changes were brought about by physicists.

Therefore, all chemists around the world envied at the same time:
“Physicists are truly the darlings of natural science!”

Cavendish Laboratory, UK.

Among physicists, the one who reacted most strongly to the nuclear fusion paper was undoubtedly Rutherford.

Because the paper on nuclear fusion was so important to Cavendish.

At this moment, he was sharing this paper that shocked the academic world at a large group meeting.

In addition to Rutherford's students and assistants, even Fowler and Dirac came to the room.

Fowler would soon become Rutherford's son-in-law, so he would naturally visit the laboratory frequently.

Dirac took the initiative to ask to come to the laboratory.

Although he is currently preparing for the 2nd Physics Olympiad, he still has some free time.

He cherishes the opportunity to come to Cambridge, his dream university.

What's more, Rutherford is a super boss in the field of physics.

Being able to attend the other party's group meeting, even if just as an observer, is enough to benefit greatly.

So he sat with Fowler in the corner of the room.

Rutherford had just finished interpreting the contents of the paper when he suddenly said:
"Hey, I suddenly feel a little bit sorry."

This made the students below look at each other in bewilderment.

What are you regretting?

Rutherford smiled and said:

"In fact, I was almost the first to propose the concept of nuclear fusion."

Wow!
Everyone was shocked!
They didn't expect such a thing to happen.

Could it be that Professor Rutherford is also studying nuclear fusion?

Looking at the surprised expressions of the crowd, Rutherford continued:
"In the experiment where I discovered the proton, nuclear fusion actually occurred."

"The N nucleus first combines with the alpha particle, and this process is actually the process of nuclear fusion."

"It's a pity that I'm an experimental physicist and I focus on the phenomena of the experiment itself."

“Instead, we neglected to think about its essence.”

"And theoretical physicists like Professor Bruce like and are good at thinking about problems from a theoretical perspective."

"That's the big difference between theoretical physicists and experimental physicists."

"But I have serious doubts now."

"Professor Bruce learned the concept of nuclear fusion from us at Cavendish."

"So from now on, I will organize you to visit the Quantum Research Institute more often."

"Try to get Professor Bruce to return some of the interest."

After hearing this, everyone laughed.

I'm afraid only Professor Rutherford is qualified to make such a joke.

They did not doubt Professor Rutherford's words. He was indeed just one step away from proposing nuclear fusion.

But it is such a tiny gap that requires a flash of inspiration.

There are many such cases in the history of science.

After the joke, Rutherford asked:

“Do you have any comments or questions about this paper?”

“Don’t be afraid to ask.”

"As an authority in atomic research, we Cavendish must always be at the forefront!"

At this time, Chadwick asked:
"Professor, I have a question."

"Since in your previous experiment, the N nucleus has already undergone nuclear fusion with the alpha particle."

"This shows that nuclear fusion does not necessarily require extremely high temperatures and pressures."

"The radiation produced by radioactive substances is enough to bombard atomic nuclei and produce fusion."

"Then why does the nuclear fusion proposed by Professor Bruce require such stringent conditions?"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

This angle is quite novel, but very interesting.

"Yes, doesn't this mean that nuclear fusion can be achieved at room temperature?"

"Oh my God! That's incredible!"

Hearing this, Rutherford looked at Chadwick approvingly.

However, everyone's ideas were destined to fail.

He explained:

“That’s the difference between macro and micro.”

"You should know that one mole of a substance contains 6.02×10 basic units." "That is to say, one mole of nitrogen, although its mass is only 28g, has a volume of about 22L."

"But it contains 6.02×10 nitrogen molecules."

"This is an unimaginable astronomical figure."

"So many nitrogen molecules together, even if they are only slightly heated up."

"It is possible that one or two molecules will collide due to the increase in kinetic energy, resulting in a nuclear fusion reaction."

"But because there is not enough temperature and pressure, this reaction is only sporadic and cannot be sustained."

"And it's also impossible to get the rest of the molecules to aggregate along with it."

"Even the fused nuclei may soon separate again."

"A nuclear fusion reaction at the level of one or two molecules doesn't make any sense."

“It’s like the recent claim by chemists that Midas Touch can turn stone into gold.”

"What's the point if it just creates one gold atom?"

"The nuclear fusion of macroscopic matter is the real nuclear fusion."

"Not to mention objects as massive as stars."

"If you want nuclear fusion to continue, you need extremely high temperatures and pressures."

Rutherford's explanation made everyone suddenly realize.

No wonder Professor Bruce was the first to apply the concept of nuclear fusion to stars.

It turns out there is another consideration.

At this point, Rutherford continued:

"And the most important thing is this."

"That's how I bombard the nucleus with rays. It's uncontrollable."

"We cannot quantitatively determine which nucleus will undergo nuclear fusion."

"If you want to truly study the mysteries of the atomic nucleus, you must have a controllable nuclear reaction."

"Even if it's just controlling a single atomic nucleus, it will be fine."

"In this case, the nuclei need to have very high energies to ensure that a nuclear reaction will occur."

"Instead of relying on a negligible probability for the atomic nucleus to react spontaneously."

"Unfortunately, there is no such instrument or technology at present."

At this time, Dirac in the corner frowned slightly, and then relaxed.

He said directly:
"Professor, why not invent an instrument that can accelerate microscopic particles?"

"According to the mass-energy equation, as long as the speed of the particle is large enough, its mass will also increase."

"When the particle speed approaches the speed of light, if two such particles collide, the energy converted from their kinetic energy may be enough to start nuclear fusion."

Wow!
Everyone looked back in unison.

Everyone knows this young man named Dirac.

It is said that Professor Rutherford brought him back to Cambridge specifically for intensive training for the Physics Olympiad.

After taking a look today, I found that it really lives up to its reputation!

This is a very clever idea!

Rutherford was also stunned after hearing this.

Soon, a smile appeared on his face.

"Dirac, your suggestion is very good."

“It shows that you have a strong physical intuition.”

"I believe that as more and more people study nuclear fusion, someone will surely build such an instrument."

There was no expression on Dirac's face.

He knew that with Professor Rutherford's ability, he might have thought of it a long time ago, but just didn't say it out loud.

Rutherford: Yes, that's right!

After all, this method of accelerating particles is not innovative at all.

By adding an electric field to charged particles, they can be accelerated directly without any difficulty.

What's important is how to accelerate to near the speed of light.

After all, the kinetic energy of particles in a low-speed state is far from enough for nuclear fusion.

This is what Dirac had just calculated on his manuscript paper.

In fact, in the mid-to-late 20s, the concept of nuclear fusion was proposed.

Physicists have long discussed the principles of accelerating charged particles.

Because only by allowing particles to obtain higher energies can physicists create "controllable" nuclear reactions.

Thereby studying the various properties of microscopic particles.

By the early 30s, there were concepts and prototypes of accelerators such as electrostatic and linear accelerators.

Finally, the cyclotron came into being and instantly became the main instrument for studying nuclear physics.

Next, everyone discussed various issues related to nuclear fusion.

Finally, Rutherford said excitedly:

"In 1896, Professor Becquerel discovered that elements are radioactive, which can be regarded as the beginning of nuclear physics."

"After that, the Curies, I, and other physicists conducted in-depth research on radioactivity."

"However, none of these studies have delved into the realm of the nucleus."

“It was not until Professor Bruce discovered the atomic nucleus and proposed the planetary model that nuclear physics entered a completely new stage.”

"The next step was the discovery of the proton and the proposal of the proton-neutron model."

"It wasn't until the concept of nuclear fusion was proposed that we first realized that atomic nuclei could interact with each other."

"From now on, bombarding atomic nuclei with radiation will become the main method of studying nuclear reactions."

"And nuclear reactions will become the mainstream of nuclear research in the future."

"Professor Bruce's paper, to some extent, has ushered in a new era for nuclear physics!"

boom!
Everyone's face was filled with shock!

For a physics giant like Rutherford, his perspective on the concept of nuclear fusion was very different from that of others.

He would not consider synthesizing any new elements like a chemist.

Because that doesn't make any sense in terms of physics.

Could it be that the newly created elements no longer conform to the laws of quantum theory?
It's just adding a new element to the periodic table.

Similarly, he would not marvel at the terrifying power of the artificial sun like astronomers.

Because this is more of an engineering problem than a physics problem.

No matter what, humans cannot create a celestial body that is exactly the same as the sun in the sky.

Moreover, stellar energy, structure and evolution, after all, are all within the broad framework of physics.

These, like atomic physics, are just specific research directions.

However, this does not mean that nuclear fusion is unimportant to physics.

On the contrary, it is very important and vital.

Because it made physicists realize that protons and neutrons are far from being explained by two independent microscopic particles.

In the nuclear fusion paper, what is the process by which protons and neutrons are fused together.

What is the interaction between them like?
These are what physicists are most concerned about.

It is also the most fundamental issue.

The basis of stellar nuclear fusion and artificial elements is the atomic nuclear model.

Rutherford guessed correctly that nuclear fusion already involves the forces in the atomic nucleus.

That is the strong force and the weak force.

Among them, nuclear fusion is related to the strong force, while nuclear fission is related to both the strong force and the weak force.

And these contents will soon shock the physics community again at the third Bruce Conference!

Chadwick's blood boiled after listening to Rutherford's summary.

"Professor Bruce can be called the father of nuclear physics!"

(End of this chapter)