📌 TOPINDIATOURS Breaking ai: ‘Birth of science’: Particle accelerator decodes anci

Ancient Greek astronomers made important observations regarding the night sky long before the first telescope was invented in the 1600s.

These pioneering astronomers relied on naked-eye observations to understand the cosmos. A key figure in Ancient Greek astronomy, Hipparchus, crafted a meticulous star catalog based on his observations. Though this was long believed to have been lost to time, a hidden copy survived for centuries.

That copy was buried under layers of other text in a medieval codex, making it practically unreadable. Amazingly, a team of scientists claims to have finally unearthed some of this lost text using a type of particle accelerator called a synchrotron. They believe their work could help bring Hipparchus’s methods to light.

The hidden secrets of the Codex Climaci Rescriptus

The scientists first became interested in the codex document in 2021, when they discovered constellation names and measurements related to Hipparchus’ work. These were hidden beneath layers of other text in the Codex Climaci Rescriptus, a palimpsest dating back to the fifth to tenth centuries C.E. 

A palimpsest is an ancient text that has been erased and overwritten. This was common practice in ancient times, as parchments were expensive, leading scribes to reuse old manuscripts to archive new information.

The trouble is that, in many cases, the older, overwritten text has more historical value. For centuries, scientists have tried using different chemicals and lighting techniques to bring back these ancient texts.

In a recent interview with Scientific American, Victor Gysembergh, a researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), noted: “Since this star catalog is so important for understanding the birth of science, it made us want to pull out all the stops.”

The scientists used a particle accelerator, which offers the best technique devised to date for reading erased ancient texts. “What we’ve been seeing is amazing in comparison to previous imaging,” Gysembergh added.

Particle accelerator uncovers ancient manuscript

The particle accelerator the team used is called the synchotron. It is located at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California.

The synchotron works by accelerating charged particles to nearly the speed of light. These speed around a curved track, constantly changing direction. As they do so, they emit bright beams of X-ray light that are capable of creating an extremely detailed X-ray image of an object.

The team used this technique to shed light on the Codex Climaci Rescriptus. The accelerator’s X-ray beams interacted differently with inks used in different eras—either scattering, diffracting, or being absorbed. 

The researchers focused on the ink used to transcribe Hipparchus’s catalog, which was a few hundred years older than the ink above. Although erased, a calcium-rich residue allowed them to map out the text using the accelerator.

The text will now go through a careful analysis process. However, the scientists said they have already been able to decode text from their raw data. Once the analysis is complete, they expect the Codex Climaci Rescriptus to have provided the most complete historical sample of Hipparchus’s observations.

🔗 Sumber: interestingengineering.com

📌 TOPINDIATOURS Eksklusif ai: In a first, US team unveils secrets of TRISO nuclear

US scientists have gained a first-of-its-kind view inside advanced nuclear fuel by using neutron scattering to probe the internal chemistry of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles containing high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU).

The initiative was carried out by researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). It was sponsored by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy through the AGR Program’s TRISO research and development efforts.

In contrast to traditional light-water reactor fuel, HALEU enables much higher energy production, known as burnup. This improves reactor performance through better fuel utilization, longer refueling intervals and reduced waste generation.

TRISO fuel is a key technology for high-temperature gas reactors (HTGRs). It is made of uranium-based kernels coated with three protective layers of ceramic and carbon. They can withstand temperatures above 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit.

A look inside TRISO

Each TRISO fuel kernel is extremely small (the size of a poppy seed), but highly robust. While this resilience makes TRISO fuel attractive for next-gen reactors, its internal chemistry has been difficult to study without destroying the particles.

To address the challenge, the researchers turned to neutron scattering. This is a powerful technique capable of probing materials at the microscopic level without cutting into the fuel.

The team conducted the experiment at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). This accelerator-based neutron source user facility provides the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world.

Using the Spallation Neutron and Pressure Diffractometer (SNAP), the researchers directed a tightly collimated, one-millimeter pulsed neutron beam at unirradiated HALEU TRISO particles.

As the neutrons passed through the particles, some were absorbed by uranium atoms. The remaining neutrons scattered, carrying information about the fuel’s internal structure and composition to the detector.

“These experiments offer valuable insight and lay the groundwork for more detailed modeling of TRISO fuels,” Will Cureton, PhD, an R&D staff member in the Particle Fuel Forms Group at ORNL, stated.

Studying fuel behavior

The study focused on the balance between uranium carbide and uranium oxide within the fuel kernel. “We know that both uranium carbide and uranium oxide are important to fuel performance, but the exact composition requirements are still unknown,” Cureton explained.

Historically, TRISO fuel used uranium oxide kernels. But oxygen released during nuclear fission can react with surrounding carbon layers, forming carbon dioxide that may over-pressurize and damage the fuel.

DOE’s Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Qualification and Development Program has adopted uranium carbide-based kernels. These can absorb liberated oxygen and convert it into uranium oxide instead of carbon dioxide.

🔗 Sumber: interestingengineering.com