-1998 Invented Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 1998 At 6: 06 a.m. Beijing time on June 3rd (June 2nd, US Eastern Time 18: 06 a.m.), the first high-energy physics experiment "Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer" (AMS) to explore the origin of the universe was successfully carried by the American Space Shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The experiment of "Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer" is a cross-century major international scientific experiment project. For thousands of years, human beings have directly observed charged particles in space for the first time, opening up a brand-new scientific field.

On the day of the launch of the space shuttle Discovery, the temperature in the launch center was as high as 35℃, which was close to the limit temperature of 37.2℃. At 8: 06 local time/kloc-0, the rocket was successfully ignited. After a slight angle, the space shuttle Discovery flew higher and higher, like a sword, piercing the dark blue sky with a slight mist.

The main task of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer launched by the Space Shuttle Discovery is to find "antimatter" and "dark matter" in space to answer two important questions about the origin of the universe.

The research project of Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer is an international cooperation project led by Mr. Ding Zhaozhong, a famous Chinese American and winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physics. Thirty-seven scientific research institutions from 65,438+00 countries, including the United States, China and the Russian Federation, participated in this project. Among them, scientists and engineers in China undertook the task of developing the most critical permanent magnet in Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. This permanent magnet is the first magnet sent into space by human beings, which will collect important data for human beings to explore the mysteries of cosmic matter.

After the launch of Discovery, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer returned to the ground in June 12, during which it was tested in space for 100 hours, which was the first time that the instrument was tested in space. It is reported that the debugged space magnetic spectrometer will be sent to the Alpha Space Station jointly developed by the United States, Russia, Japan and Western European countries in 2002 and will serve in space for 3 to 5 years. This will be the first large-scale long-term scientific experiment on the space station.

Before the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer was made, scientists used optical methods to detect all kinds of rays in the universe. But there is no difference between the light emitted by antimatter and the light emitted by matter, and dark matter does not emit light. So the existence of antimatter and dark matter cannot be confirmed. Alpha magnetic spectrometer is specially used to detect antimatter and dark matter in space. According to scientists involved in the antimatter search program, tens of billions of protons will pass through the detector during the three-year service of the magnetic spectrometer on the Alpha International Joint Space Station. As long as the space magnetic spectrometer can find an anti-helium nucleus, it can be inferred that there are anti-galaxies in the universe; If an anti-carbon nucleus is found, it can be inferred that there is an anti-planet. 100. extracting heat from seawater

—— Application of hydrogen fusion in 2000 1 gallon of hydrogen in seawater is enough to make 10000 space convection electric heaters work 1 hour. Scientists all over the world want to use this energy through reactions similar to those on the surface of the sun. This reaction is called continuous thermonuclear fusion, which causes hydrogen atoms to collide with each other and release huge energy. This process produces far more energy than nuclear fusion. The first atomic bomb was a concrete application of nuclear fusion.

At present, the research on fusion has reached the level of making hydrogen bombs. But the thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen bombs is as uncontrollable as the sun. Scientists are exploring a way to use thermonuclear fusion safely for peaceful purposes.

It is not easy to fuse hydrogen nuclei. Only when the ambient temperature reaches 265,438+0.2 million degrees and this temperature is kept for 65,438+0 seconds will hydrogen nuclei collide with each other, leading to thermonuclear reaction. Once the hydrogen atoms fuse, the reaction should be controlled to prevent the waste and loss of energy.

So far, nuclear scientists can only keep a fraction of the temperature 1 second. But they firmly believe that the difficulties will eventually be solved; By the year 2000, the first thermal power station will be put into operation. (Translation: 199 1 year 1 1.9 years, the European Union's annular fusion reactor in Oxfordshire, England, carried out controlled fusion, generating about 1.7 MW of electricity for the first time, lasting for 2 seconds. )

Hydrogen in the ocean is inexhaustible. One day, human beings can extract cheap hydrogen from seawater effortlessly. A modern thermal power plant needs 10 train of coal every day, while a thermal nuclear power plant that provides the same power only needs 1 truck of hydrogen contained in seawater to run.