The meeting after the experiment lasted all the way until the evening.
Lu Zhou and the other researchers in the research institute had a detailed discussion about the technical details of the "liquid lithium neutron recovery system".
Even though the specific plan hadn't been made yet, the feasibility of the technical route and the general framework of the technical idea had already been concluded during the meeting.
Next, they only needed to summarize the meeting notes, summarize all the problems, and hold two more discussion meetings. Then, they would be able to come up with a relatively complete plan.
The time for the next meeting was set for three days later. For the next three days, Lu Zhou gave the researchers in the institute a small vacation.
First of all, no one had much rest in the past year, and they needed time to spend with their families or girlfriends. Second of all, the neutron beam produced by the fusion reaction caused a large area of radiation damage to the first wall material. Not only was the austenitic steel riddled with holes, but a layer of fluffy metal debris was also formed on the surface.
Needless to say, this was a very interesting phenomenon.
However, no one understood why this happened.
Even Lu Zhou, a Nobel Prize winner, couldn't think of a suitable theory to explain this. His initial guess was that thermal stress might have caused the surface material to tear. As for the specific reason, perhaps only the plasma inside the stellarator would know.
Lu Zhou already planned on abandoning the austenitic steel, so he didn't plan on delving into this topic.
In short, because the equipment needed to be repaired, the next experiment would be at least a month later.
When Lu Zhou returned home, the sky was already dark.
When Lu Zhou opened the door and walked into the hallway, a small four-rotor drone flew over.
"Master! Welcome back! "
Lu Zhou looked at the little guy hovering in front of him and couldn't help but smile.
Speaking of which, he really missed this "little guy" drone. It was a gift from the members of the Princeton drone club when he was a consultant.
After he brought it back to China, he took some time to modify it and gave it to Xiao Ai.
Xiao Ai quite liked this "new toy" that could fly around. At its request, Lu Zhou installed a speaker for it, replaced the motor, and installed four pairs of short but powerful hooks on the chassis.
With this magically modified "little guy" and other smart home devices, including the sweeping robot, Xiao Ai could not only help him look after the house, but it could also help him throw out the trash and clean the room.
Of course, even though it was given the authority to use these devices, Lu Zhou had also imposed strict restrictions on its range of activities and behavior.
For example, he was only allowed to move around in Zhongshan International's residential area, and he was prohibited from flying into other people's yards or moving fragile items.
Xiao Ai obeyed his orders strictly. After all, regardless of whether it was intelligent or not, it was still a program, and its obedience to him was written into its core code.
"That, that, Master, can I ask you for a favor?"
Lu Zhou changed into slippers and walked to the living room. He asked casually, "What's up?"
Xiao Ai flew next to Lu Zhou and spoke.
"Can you add an LED display on my little plane? Speaking of which, it feels weird to speak in another woman's voice. I prefer more direct text communication. (Shy) "
Lu Zhou: "…"
What the hell is another woman's voice? Isn't that Google Voice? If you don't like it, you can change it to a man's voice.
Also, what's the new feature of reading parentheses with a voice? Is it to highlight that the emotion system has become richer after the upgrade?
I feel like Xiao Ai has gone further and further in a strange direction …
Lu Zhou: "I refuse."
Xiao Ai: "Why! (About to cry) "
Lu Zhou looked at the little guy flying around and sighed.
Is there a need to ask?
Because it feels troublesome.
Also, when he thought about this guy flying around the house with emojis, he didn't know what kind of expression to show.
In short, he would never do something that would increase his burden without any benefits.
Xiao Ai: "Then can you give me an arm? I'll do it myself, right … (Aggrieved) "
When Lu Zhou heard this unreasonable request, he couldn't help but say, "Why don't you just ask me to build a Gundam for you? Do you think I'm Doraemon or Doraemon?"
When the drone heard this, it stopped moving. Xiao Ai went silent for a while.
Lu Zhou guessed that this guy probably went to find out what "Doraemon" was. It probably downloaded a complete set on his server and even began to "scan" it.
Lu Zhou shook his head and ignored it. He turned around and walked into the bathroom to take a shower.
After changing into his pajamas, Lu Zhou went to the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee. He then went upstairs to his study room and sat in front of his computer to browse the web.
Because he had been too busy with his research, he didn't go online much. He only heard from other researchers in the institute that the Science thesis they published successfully attracted a wave of attention around the world. It seemed like his name was trending again because of this.
Speaking of which, ever since he won the Nobel Prize, he rarely paid attention to his own news and rarely accepted interviews from reporters.
However, the domestic and international media's interest in him didn't seem to diminish at all.
Especially when he came up with new research results.
Lu Zhou briefly read a few news articles and took a sip of his coffee.
China's controllable fusion reports were basically all about the STAR machine and its world-leading 60 minutes. Zhou Chengfu didn't jump out to say anything. He chose to hide. Lu Zhou didn't know if it was because he didn't have the confidence to speak, or if he said something but no one reported it.
Also, compared to the domestic news, Lu Zhou's main focus was on the international news.
The success of the STAR machine would definitely boost the confidence of the entire controllable nuclear fusion field. It would also stimulate the sensitive nerves of some people. What he wanted to know now was how his peers would react to this matter.
At that moment, a piece of news caught his attention.
It was a CNN news video.
Perry, the United States Secretary of Energy, was standing at the press conference. He faced the camera and gave a speech about controllable nuclear fusion technology that had recently received a lot of attention. He also responded to the rumor that the United States planned to withdraw from ITER.
"Regarding the future of energy research, the United States' position has never changed.
"… We have continuously invested tens of billions of dollars in fusion energy research projects. Since the 1950s, our research on controllable fusion technology has always been at the forefront of the world.
"I must reiterate that the United States has no plans to withdraw from ITER. At least, I haven't seen any documents on this on my desk.
"We will work closely with our allies on fusion energy research and do our best to expand the influence of our research institutions in this field.
"If the situation is optimistic, we will complete the construction of a controllable fusion demonstration reactor by 2030 and commercialize controllable fusion technology by 2050!
"We will complete the work that we have already started, and we will fulfill our commitments to our partners …"
Lu Zhou looked at the United States Secretary of Energy who was giving a speech in the video. He gently rubbed his finger on the mouse as he spoke.
"… It looks like the Americans are getting impatient."
If he could write a letter to the relevant departments, then other people could as well.
Also, compared to the broad prospects of controllable nuclear fusion, China (or Russia) had an advantage in a certain technology, which was more likely to motivate the Congressional Budget Office to fork out more money.
Just like what Lu Zhou saw.
The competition for the future of controllable nuclear fusion had already begun.
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