Cold Nuclear Pulse Thruster
The fundamental task of Condensed Matter Physics is to elucidate the relationship between microstructure and physical properties. Therefore, it is crucial to determine whether the collective of certain types of microparticles that constitute condensed matter exhibits quantum properties.
The materials or fuels that can undergo Cold Nuclear Fusion are a technology developed from this theory after further development of Condensed Matter Physics.
Cold Nuclear Fusion, as the name suggests, is a type of Nuclear Fusion that achieves a different temperature than thermonuclear Nuclear Fusion.
In the history of human scientific development, Cold Nuclear Fusion is generally defined as a Nuclear Fusion reaction that occurs at low or even normal temperatures. This is a conceptual hypothesis proposed in response to thermonuclear Nuclear Fusion, that is, thermonuclear reactions inside stars.
However, this "cold" is quite complex. After reading the detailed description of Cold Nuclear Fusion by the Kun-Tai Civilization, it is a low temperature, but not the normal temperature that humans think it is.
How low? The temperature at which this condensed matter undergoes Cold Nuclear Fusion must be below -200 degrees Celsius. At higher temperatures, this condensed matter loses a certain magical quantum effect and thus loses its ability to undergo Nuclear Fusion.
It is conceivable that in order to make this condensed matter undergo Nuclear Fusion reaction, it must be kept at an extremely low temperature, and the Kun-Tai Civilization used Liquid Nitrogen.
Humans have discovered that the cold Nuclear Fusion Engine of the Kun-Tai Civilization works like this: when condensed matter undergoes a fusion reaction, it will inevitably heat up due to the release of energy from nuclear fusion. Therefore, Liquid Nitrogen must be used to continuously cool it down while it undergoes Nuclear Fusion.
The particle jet generated by the fusion reaction blasts the Liquid Nitrogen into elemental nitrogen, which is then ejected backward along with the particles produced by Nuclear Fusion, thus providing a strong reaction force for the engine.
In other words, to maintain Cold Nuclear Fusion, a large amount of refrigerant is required, and this refrigerant is constantly being consumed.
This is completely inconsistent with the requirements of an engine, because the more refrigerant, the heavier the spacecraft. Using this technology in a propulsion system is essentially no different from a chemical rocket, just a more powerful version.
Therefore, although the Kun-Tai Civilization mastered Cold Nuclear Fusion, it had no way to actually install it on its spaceships.
However, the Kun-Tai Civilization truly lived up to its reputation as a civilization that had made great strides in the field of Cold Nuclear Fusion research. After discovering that using Liquid Nitrogen for cooling was not feasible, they found another way and discovered a catalyst.
The essence of Nuclear Fusion is the fusion of elements with a smaller number of nucleons into elements with a larger number of nucleons.
Cold Nuclear Fusion, as a form of Nuclear Fusion, is essentially the same.
Therefore, Nuclear Fusion cannot occur on its own; it must be placed at extremely low temperatures or come into contact with a catalyst.
Clearly, neither the condensed matter that can initiate Cold Nuclear Fusion nor the catalyst are naturally occurring substances; they must be artificially created.
The production process was quite complex, but fortunately, the Kun-Tai Civilization had a complete set of theories and technical details.
It's amazing, completely different from what people imagine.
Catalysts are also a type of condensed matter. Like condensed matter that can undergo Nuclear Fusion reactions, they are liquids and possess superfluid properties.
According to the description of the Kun-Tai Civilization, Cold Nuclear Fusion condensed matter, upon contact with this superfluid catalyst, would instantly turn into gas and then undergo an extremely rapid and violent Nuclear Fusion reaction.
As long as the contact range or mixing method between the catalyst and the condensed matter is controlled, the condensed matter can immediately undergo a fusion reaction and release a huge amount of energy.
In that instant, this condensed matter is immediately consumed, or rather, it is fused into another element with a higher number of nuclei, and the instantaneous high temperature and pressure brought by Nuclear Fusion are ejected.
The Kun-Tai Civilization calls the thrusters made using this Cold Nuclear Fusion principle Cold Nuclear Pulse Thruster.
Seeing the word 'pulse' tells you how this engine works.
Clearly, the so-called Cold Nuclear Pulse Thruster achieves kinetic propulsion in the form of pulses; in other words, it provides power to the spacecraft in the form of a nuclear explosion.
Of course, this nuclear explosion is a cold nuclear explosion, which is different from a thermonuclear nuclear explosion.
Although high temperature and pressure will be generated at that moment, this cold nuclear explosion will not produce sustained high temperature for a long time. The requirements for the materials at the tail of the thruster are not as high as those for thermonuclear explosions. As long as the impact resistance is good enough, it can be used as a material for Cold Nuclear Pulse Thruster.
Of course, since this thing is still a nuclear explosion, it is more easily damaged than thermonuclear Nuclear Fusion if the materials are not good enough.
Therefore, the combustion chamber or reaction nozzle of such Cold Nuclear Pulse Thruster is usually made to be very thick and heavy.
It has many drawbacks, but it's not without its advantages.
As a Cold Nuclear Fusion achieved by both fuel and catalyst, the reaction rate is controllable. In other words, the more condensed matter is placed, the more energy is generated by the instantaneous fusion, and the stronger the pulse becomes.
Moreover, the products of this fusion include not only a particle jet traveling at 15% the speed of light, but also an extremely large plasma stream.
What does this mean? It means that this Cold Nuclear Pulse Thruster can allow a spacecraft to exceed 15% of the speed of light.
Of course, there is a prerequisite: the amount of a single pulse must be large enough. Once it exceeds a certain threshold, plasma flow will become the mainstream.
The Kun-Tai Civilization failed to break through the 15% light speed limit using this engine precisely because it did not break through this threshold.
Since it is a pulse-type thruster, its limitation is obvious: Materials Technology.
The Kun-Tai Civilization did not have materials capable of withstanding larger pulses.
Upon seeing this, Xu Zhenyi was genuinely excited, because he had previously browsed the Materials Technology of the Kun-Tai Civilization and knew that the Materials Technology of the Kun-Tai Civilization was inferior to that of humans.
Based on the data comparison, it is entirely possible to break through this threshold with current human materials technology.
Xu Zhenyi's first thought was a material similar to that of the Lyra, which was made from materials from alien spaceships. That material could easily withstand temperatures of 150 million degrees Celsius and had extremely strong impact resistance.
The material, perfectly suited to withstand high-intensity pulse impacts, seems to have been created specifically for human use of Cold Nuclear Pulse Thruster.
Xu Zhenyi didn't know that other civilizations couldn't create such a powerful material, but humanity happened to possess this high-strength material because of the spaceship wreckage on Callisto.
I don't know whether to call it lucky or unlucky.
In short, if this technology is real, then humanity has a very high chance of developing Cold Nuclear Pulse Thruster.
What does this mean? It means that if human warships were equipped with this kind of engine, they would be fully capable of breaking the 15% speed of light barrier.
It's important to understand that this breakthrough of 15% of the speed of light wasn't achieved over thousands of years with Ion Thruster, but rather through a super-powerful pulse in a short period of time.