SLAC team observes progressive melting of copper under extreme heat in real time
Researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, under the U.S. Department of Energy, and their collaborators used the Mega-electron-volt Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (MeV-UED) facility to observe in real time the melting process of copper atoms under extreme temperatures. The study was published in Nature Communications. Future fusion power plants will need to replicate fusion reactions that occur inside stars here on Earth. The core plasma can reach temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius, while surrounding structural materials must withstand sudden, intense thermal shocks. Copper and its alloys, owing to their excellent thermal conductivity, are considered capable of serving as "heat sinks" in fusion systems...
2026-08-15
