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Lab Produces 3.6 Billion Degree Gas

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the hotter-than-the-sun dept.

starexplorer2001 writes "LiveScience is reporting how scientists at Sandia's Z laboratory have produced superheated gas exceeding temperatures of 3.6 billion degrees Fahrenheit (2 billion kelvins). That's hotter than the interior of our sun, which is only 15 million degrees F. And they don't know how they did it. Do we want anything that hot on our planet?"

4 of 594 comments (clear)

  1. Re:"Some unknown energy source is involved" by Smidge204 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well, from what I know of conventional thermodynamics... some quantity of mass must have been converted to energy.

    The real catch is thus: "...the high temperature was achieved after the plasma's ions should have been losing energy and cooling."

    I find this is exciting! Some of the best science starts with the words "Gee, that's funny..."
    =Smidge=

  2. Re:"Some unknown energy source is involved" by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Unfortunately, an awful lot of science ends with...

    "So, what exactly did you do before the lab exploded?"

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
  3. Re:"Some unknown energy source is involved" by rtaylor · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Unfortunately, an awful lot of science ends with...

    "So, what exactly did you do before the lab exploded?"
    Isn't that usually when the military steps in with funding?

    --
    Rod Taylor
  4. Asimov had the right idea here... by Malor · · Score: 5, Insightful
    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not Eureka, but rather 'Hmm, that's funny...'"

    -- Isaac Asimov

    This is potentially a very, very big deal. The temperature is NOT the most important thing... that's the headline for dummies.

    The important part: they're getting out more energy than they're putting in, and they don't understand why.