Star in the Jar

Product Information

The basis of the new energy source would be so-called sonoluminescence–a phenomenon in which bubbles of vapor in a liquid bombarded by sound waves rapidly implode, generating heat spikes and flashes of light in the bubbles (SN: 10/6/01, p. 213: Shrimps spew bubbles as hot as the sun). Taleyarkhan and several of his Oak Ridge colleagues collaborated on the research with scientists from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and the Russian Academy of Sciences in Ufa. Fission: Current nuclear reactors use nuclear fission as power. Fission occurs when an atom is split when hit by a subatomic particle. In a nuclear reactor the fuel is a relatively unstable atom such as Uranium or Plutonium and the splitting of their atoms creates a chain reaction as neutrons released by each fission triggers the splitting of other atoms. When fission occurs it creates a great deal of energy. The new signs of fusion in bubbles were so extraordinary that Lee L. Reidinger, the Oak Ridge lab’s deputy director for science and technology, commissioned two of the lab’s nuclear physicists, Dan Shapira and Michael J. Saltmarsh, to monitor the sonoluminescence setup using different detectors. Thus far, nuclear fusion has been achieved for short periods of time in experiments. The big obstacle is that thus far the amount of energy necessary to super-heat the plasma and run the strong magnetic fields is 2x or more greater than the amount of energy produced by the fusion reaction. Theoretically, however, a fusion reaction should be able to output much more energy than is is necessary as an input. In the new work, Taleyarkhan and his collaborators used bursts of neutrons to fabricate clouds of short-lived, but extraordinarily large, sonoluminescence bubbles in acetone, the solvent in many nail-polish removers. In some tests, the researchers filled the flask with ordinary acetone, whose molecules each contain six hydrogen atoms. In other tests, they used deuterated acetone, in which deuterium atoms replace the hydrogen ones.

He is already thinking about his next project. “I was thinking that maybe I could make a hand-held laser cutter,” says Edwards. “So I’ve been looking into some really high-powered lasers.”Een ster van ver is een wondermooi geschreven verhaaltje (ideaal voor het slapengaan) over vriendschap, bijgestaan door prachtige, gedetailleerde, schattige illustraties. Ontroerend mooi en hartverwarmend. Een boek dat je na het uitlezen in je armen wil nemen om zo samen in slaap te vallen, op weg naar schitterende dromen. It’s a dazzling delight that will truly shine on your bookshelf. Full of feeling, friendship and fulfilment brought to life and beautifully realised with the finest of writing and illustrations.’ EAST ( Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak). EAST is a fusion reactor based in Hefei, China. EAST, like ITER, is a tokamak style reactor. But, unlike ITER, its a small reactor – only a few meters across. It is an experimental reactor. Information on EAST here. The Chinese EAST Reactor When Can We Expect Fusion to Work as a Power Source? One that I will be highly recommending to teachers and schools to share. Several schools that I visit utilise a praise system whereby pupils place a star in the jar for demonstrating positive behaviour and so this would definitely enhance and complement that practice. But even at this point you can still see the stars shooting around and the water seems like it’s swirling and moving around like a galaxy deep in space. Expect the Unexpected

Reward charts for autistic children can help them to understand how their behaviour can have positive consequences or help them achieve simple aims.Following the success of Pied Piper Theatre’s Burglar Billlast year, this new two hander for very young children follows a similar format. There is little dialogue in Hare and Tortoise, lots of physicality and gentle joking, a neat narrative shape and some catchy songs. And it all sits very happily in the Yvonne Arnaud’s child-friendly studio space. Whilst marvelling at the night sky one evening, he realises the star is not quite as happy as he and so sets out to return it to its rightful home. And I dressed my kids in dark clothes so I didn’t have to worry if they got food colouring on them.