Russia has created a particle accelerator the size of an ordinary room

Russian scientists from MIPT, JIHT RAS and FI RAS have created a super-intense neutron source. Its effectiveness

which is quite comparable to the work of a huge particle accelerator, but at the same time the dimensions do not exceed an ordinary room. Discuss

It is reported that the device was based on a high-energy PHELIX laser and directed its beam at a polymer foam target. The beam power in this case reached 1015 watts.

In creating the foam, experts used the materialcellulose triacetate with a density of only 2 mg/cm3. At the first laser pulse, which lasted 1 nanosecond, the target atoms were ionized to create a plasma cloud. But the next pulse lasted a picosecond and is designed to accelerate the electrons in the plasma.

It should be noted that according to the latest data, when creating the installation, domestic scientists set a record for the efficiency of converting laser energy into gamma rays with energies above 10 MeV.