It holds the promise of clean limitless energy that's available on demand.

它蘊含著按需提供清潔無限的能源的希望。

But of course, it isn't easy, and despite several different promising methods

但當然，這並不容易，儘管有幾種不同的有前途的方法。

we still haven't achieved sustained fusion.

我們仍然沒有實現 持續的核聚變。

But in April of 2020, NASA researchers announced they had come up with a new approach to fusion

但在2020年4月，美國宇航局的研究人員宣佈，他們已經想到了一種新的核聚變方法。

that has the potential to power missions into deep space,

有可能為深空任務提供動力。

and maybe even future laptops here on Earth.

甚至可能是未來地球上的筆記本電腦。

Unlike nuclear fission, where heavy atoms are split to generate energy,

不像核裂變，重原子會分裂產生能量。

fusion is accomplished by smashing lighter elements together so they combine.

融合是通過將較輕的元素砸在一起，使它們結合在一起來實現的。

It's the process that powers our Sun,

這就是我們太陽的動力過程。

as hydrogen nuclei in its core crash into each other and eventually, create helium

氫核相互碰撞，最終產生氦氣。

through what's known as the proton-proton chain.

通過所謂的質子-質子鏈。

But the only reason our sun and other stars can pull off this trick is because of their massive size.

但我們的太陽和其他恆星之所以能做到這一點，是因為它們的體積巨大。

They need to be so huge that gravity creates enough pressure and heat to make those hydrogen nuclei collide.

它們需要如此巨大，以至於引力產生足夠的壓力和熱量，使這些氫核發生碰撞。

Remember, a hydrogen nucleus is really just a proton, and protons are positively charged.

記住，氫核其實只是一個質子，而質子是帶正電的。

To make two of them collide, they have to overcome their mutual repulsion for each other, known as the Coulomb barrier.

要想讓它們兩個碰撞，就必須克服它們之間的相互排斥，即所謂的庫侖屏障。

It's kind of like making the like sides of two magnets touch,

這有點像讓兩塊磁鐵的同類面接觸。

except the magnets are the size of a subatomic particle and they need to touch so hard they bind together.

除了磁鐵是亞原子粒子大小，他們需要接觸如此之大，他們結合在一起。

So how do you do it, without getting enough hydrogen together to form a star, that is?

那麼，在沒有湊夠氫氣形成恆星的情況下，你是怎麼做到的呢？

Well, one approach is suspending fuel in a complex magnetic field

一種方法是將燃料懸浮在複雜的磁場中。

and heating it until it's hotter than in the center of the Sun,

並把它加熱到比太陽中心還熱。

stripping electrons from the hydrogen nuclei and creating plasma.

將電子從氫核中剝離出來，形成等離子體。

This is known as magnetic confinement fusion.

這就是所謂的磁約束聚變。

Reactors that use this approach, like tokamaks and stellarators, currently have trouble keeping the plasma stable and burning.

採用這種方法的反應堆，如託卡馬克和恆星器，目前難以保持等離子體穩定和燃燒。

Another method is to shoot a powerful laser pulse at a fuel source like deuterium,

另一種方法是向氘等燃料源發射強大的脈衝光脈衝。

which is an isotope of hydrogen that has a neutron and a proton in the nucleus.

是一種氫的同位素，核內有一箇中子和一個質子。

Hurdles like distributing the laser energy and engineering a precise enough fuel target

分配脈衝光能量和設計足夠精確的燃料目標等障礙。

have so far kept us from achieving ignition with this method known as inertial confinement fusion.

迄今使我們無法用這種稱為慣性約束聚變的方法實現點火。

So scientists led in part by a team from NASA's Glenn Research Center explored another path called lattice confinement fusion.

於是，部分由美國宇航局格倫研究中心的團隊帶領的科學家們探索出了另一條叫做晶格約束核聚變的道路。

They used the atoms of a solid piece of metal like erbium or titanium

他們使用固體金屬的原子，如鉺或鈦。

as a lattice and crammed the spaces in between with deuterium gas

作為一個晶格，並在其間塞滿氘氣。

until the lattice started to break apart.

直到格子開始破裂。

Eventually, the whole thing was so full of deuterium

最後，整個事情都充滿了氘元素

one researcher described it as more like a powder than a lump of metal.

一位研究者形容它更像粉末而不是金屬塊。

Then it needed a kick to get fusion going.

那就需要一腳來讓融合進行。

Said kick was provided by a beam of high energy gamma rays,

說是由一束高能伽馬射線提供的踢擊。

which can split a deuterium nucleus into an energetic proton and neutron on contact.

它能在接觸時將氘核分裂成高能質子和中子。

When the neutron smacked into another deuterium atom,

當中子撞上另一個氘原子時。

it accelerated it fast enough to overcome the electrostatic repulsion and fuse with another deuterium nucleus.

它的加速速度足以克服靜電排斥，並與另一個氘核融合。

The clever thing about lattice confinement fusion is it reaches the energy needed

格子約束核聚變的聰明之處在於它能達到所需的能量。

to overcome the Coulomb barrier more easily.

以更容易地克服庫侖屏障。

The negatively charged electrons in the erbium or titanium

鉺或鈦中帶負電的電子。

effectively shield the deuterium nuclei from each other until just before the collision,

有效地將氘核相互屏蔽，直到碰撞前。

kind of like when you're driving up to an intersection and don't see a stop sign hidden behind a tree until the last minute.

就像當你開車到十字路口時，直到最後一刻才看到隱藏在樹後的停車標誌。

When two deuterium nuclei fuse,

當兩個氘核融合時。

they can either produce a proton and an isotope of hydrogen with two neutrons called tritium,

它們或者可以產生一個質子和一個帶有兩個中子的氫同位素，稱為氚。

or helium-3 and another energetic neutron that can continue the reaction.

或氦-3和另一個能繼續反應的高能中子。

Of course, the fast moving deuterium could also collide with the lattice, but even that could produce usable energy.

當然，快速移動的氘也可能與晶格發生碰撞，但即使如此也能產生可用的能量。

NASA is interested in this technology as a possible power source for deep space missions,

美國宇航局對這項技術感興趣，認為它可能是深空任務的動力源。

with researchers imagining fusion powering spacecraft for 10 to 30 years,

與研究人員想象核聚變為航天器提供動力的時間為10到30年。

while saving weight and cost by reducing the need for shielding.

同時，通過減少對屏蔽的需求來節省重量和成本。

Fusion power would also revolutionize energy here on Earth,

核聚變動力也將徹底改變地球上的能源。

and one researcher proposed this technology could power individual homes

和一位研究人員提出這種技術可以為個人家庭供電

or even laptops if it could be made small enough.

甚至筆記本電腦，如果能做得足夠小的話。

But that is a long, long way off.

但這是一個很長很長的距離。

Researchers have shown that this method can fuse atoms,

研究人員已經表明，這種方法可以融合原子。

next they need to see if they can make the process more consistent and efficient.

接下來，他們需要看看是否能使這個過程更加一致和高效。

It sounds promising, but until more breakthroughs are made we'll just have to keep relying on our sun for nuclear fusion.

這聽起來很有希望，但在取得更多突破之前，我們只能繼續依靠太陽進行核聚變。

Before sustainable fusion power becomes a reality on Earth, nuclear fission still has its uses.

在可持續的核聚變發電成為地球上的現實之前，核裂變仍有其用途。

Is one of those uses on a boat as a floating power plant?

其中在船上的用途是作為浮動電站嗎？

Russia seems to think so.

俄羅斯似乎也這麼認為。

For more on their floating planet and whether or not it's a good idea, check out my video on it here.

關於他們的漂浮星球的更多資訊，以及是否是個好主意，請看我在這裡的視頻。

Did you know books on nuclear power come in two varieties?

你知道關於核電的書有兩種嗎？

Fission and non-fission.

裂變和非裂變；

If you hated that joke be sure to leave a comment, if you liked it subscribe because there will be more jokes.

如果你討厭這個笑話一定要留下評論，如果你喜歡它訂閱，因為會有更多的笑話。

Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time on Seeker.

謝謝你的觀看，我們下期《探索者》再見。