Researchers discovered that the use of mayonnaise, a common kitchen ingredient, may help unlock nuclear fusion secrets.
In a study published in May in the journal Physical Review E, scientists used mayonnaise in an experiment. They placed the creamy mixture into a spinning machine to examine it under certain conditions.
Arindam Banerjee, the study’s lead author and a mechanical engineer at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, explained that mayonnaise acts like a solid. However, when pressure is applied, it begins to flow, making it useful for research.
This method could help scientists understand physical processes within nuclear fusion reactors, which operate at extremely high temperatures and pressures points. By using mayonnaise in their experiments, researchers may study these effects without needing to recreate harsh conditions, as reported by Live Science.
Nuclear fusion could provide limitless clean energy
Nuclear fusion is the process that powers stars, which is where hydrogen atoms combine to form helium. This reaction has the potential to provide practically limitless clean energy on Earth. However, the challenge lies in getting the reaction to produce more energy than it consumes.
In space, fusion happens at incredibly high temperatures—around 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 million degrees Celsius)—with the immense gravity of stars forcing hydrogen atoms together.
**Mayonnaise and Nuclear Fusion?**
Scientists have discovered that compressed and heated mayonnaise can mimic plasma states in nuclear fusion reactions!
Could this unconventional ingredient help solve the challenge of zero-emission energy?
Professor Arindam… pic.twitter.com/qxliRNs1Hp
— Malhun Sohail (@MalhunSohail) August 13, 2024
On Earth, we lack this natural pressure, so fusion reactors must operate at temperatures ten times hotter than the sun to achieve the same effect, according to Live Science. Scientists use several methods, one of which is inertial confinement, to achieve such extreme temperatures.
Physicists start by freezing small pellets of gas, usually a mix of heavier forms of hydrogen, inside metal capsules. These pellets are then blasted with powerful lasers, quickly heating the gas to around 400 million degrees Fahrenheit (222 million degrees Celsius). The goal is to create a plasma, a state where fusion can take place, according to the statement.
Mayonnaise transitioned between plastic, elastic, and unstable
Nonetheless, the problem is when the hydrogen gas heats up, it expands, causing the metal capsule to explode before the fusion can happen. The explosion occurs because the metal becomes unstable and begins flowing.
Banerjee’s team noticed that molten metal, at lower temperatures, acts similarly to mayonnaise. It can be elastic, meaning it springs back when pushed, or plastic, meaning it doesn’t return to its original shape, or it can start to flow like a liquid.
In their study, the researchers put mayonnaise into a machine that spun it until it began to flow. They then analyzed the specific conditions under which the mayonnaise transitioned from plastic to elastic and unstable.
