Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a method that uses a gaming graphics card to
The prototype reactor heats the plasma to approximately 1,000,000 °C. This is not yet the 150,000,000 °C required for nuclear fusion, but it is enough to explore the concept, the authors say.
Plasma is generated in three injectors of the device, andthey then combine and merge naturally into a donut-shaped object that looks like a smoke ring. This plasma is only a few thousandths of a second, so the team needed a high-speed method to control what was happening.
Previously, researchers used sloweror less convenient technologies for programming their control systems. However, in the new work, the team used an NVIDIA Tesla GPU, which is designed for machine learning applications.
The GPU gives us access to a hugeamount of computing power. This level of performance is required in the computer gaming industry, but this development can be used for plasma control.
Kyle Morgan, Washington University Aeronautics and Astronautics Research Associate
Using a graphics card, the team can accuratelyadjust the process of plasma entering the reactor, so researchers can more specifically imagine what happens as the plasma forms. The video card will also help create plasma that lasts longer.
Read more
Shark Intestine Reveals Like Nikola Tesla's Valve
For the first time in history, 9 stars disappeared in half an hour and did not return
Physicists told what will happen if the moon approaches the Earth