Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1441: ABCE is pretty complete (4k)

It's not that Professor Han wasn't firm enough; it's just that anyone from any national-level research institute would feel incredibly lucky to suddenly discover that they'd stumbled upon a result worthy of a national-level science and technology award.

Honestly, in his heart, the effort he put into this matter was practically free compared to the work done by Committee Member Gao in the early stages.

However, his mind wasn't just on what he gained. He picked up the watermelon, but he also wanted the sesame seeds. Perhaps the sesame seeds had been eliminated by Committee Member Gao on this project, but in his mind, the sesame seeds were no different from the watermelon.

"No, Mr. Gao, tell me about that magnetic separation technology, the one you don't want."

Technology itself is one thing, but the ideas, knowledge, and concepts it contains are even more important.

This is similar to many difficult mathematical problems. Even if they are proven, they may not be used for a while or even ever. However, the mathematical methods and theories found in the process of solving the problem are the greatest treasures.

Gao Zhendong was taken aback, then laughed.

"Alright, since you're interested, I'll talk about both. There's actually some development and inheritance between the two."

Gao Zhendong then started with the magnetic separation state and explained the magnetic and optical separation states of the cesium bundle tube, referring to two diagrams on the wall. This made Professor Han exclaim that the trip was worthwhile.

I haven't learned it yet, but I've learned something. As for mastering it, I still need to digest it.

In simple terms, magnetic state separation uses a magnetic field to select and collect atoms in specific energy states. These collected atoms then create a cesium beam current change in a detector, which is ultimately used to control a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). This oscillator outputs a standard 5MHz signal with extremely high accuracy.

Optical state selection replaces the multi-level magnetic field with pump light and detection light, changes the collector to a fluorescence detector, and replaces the cesium beam current with fluorescence intensity, which locks the frequency of the voltage-controlled oscillator.

After listening to Gao Zhendong's introduction, Professor Han asked the question that was on his mind most.

"Then why use light instead of a magnetic field?" He could guess some of it, since he understood many of the principles involved, but he estimated that he didn't have a complete understanding, as his research on these two technologies was far less profound than Gao Zhendong's.

Gao Zhendong laughed: "There are many reasons, let's talk about them one by one?"

Professor Han was overjoyed: "I couldn't be happier!"

The comrades from the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building next to them were also focused on the opportunity. Although their professions were different from theirs, it was a rare chance. One of the most important requirements for technical people is to have a broad knowledge base.

"Actually, the first one is the control of light, which is much easier than the control of a magnetic field. As we just mentioned, the frequency of light is highly correlated with the energy level transition. If the frequency of light corresponds to the energy level transition, then all the atoms flying out of the cesium furnace will be actively pumped. This is much, much more effective than passively using a magnetic field to select suitable atoms. The ratio can be as high as a hundred times!"

This number sent a chill down everyone's spines; it was two orders of magnitude higher. It seemed we had no choice but to use it.

However, some comrades from the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building were puzzled by this: "But Committee Member Gao, the frequency range of light is very wide. A beam of light contains many frequencies, right? In this case, wouldn't it be almost the same as the actual result of magnetic separation?"

Before Gao Zhendong could answer, Professor Han chimed in, saying he was very familiar with this stuff!
“There is a type of light that theoretically contains almost only one frequency: laser!” As he said this, he couldn’t help but glance at Gao Zhendong. There might be some controversy about whether Gao Zhendong is the father of lasers, since the core principle of lasers was predicted by Einstein. But there would be little problem in saying that he personally delivered the laser.

No wonder we need optical state selection! As long as we find the right frequency and use a laser of the right frequency for pumping, the benefits I just mentioned can be achieved almost 100%. Moreover, the advantage is that the laser produced by a qualified laser has a fixed frequency, with almost no changes or doping, which saves a lot of work that would otherwise be required to control the magnetic field.

Just turn it on, you don't need to worry about anything else, it saves you so much trouble.

Moreover, magnetic field control is relatively difficult. This committee member in front of me is the best laser researcher. In this respect, laser pumping is undoubtedly more advantageous than magnetic separation.

The comrades from the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building understood, and that was it. It saved them the trouble of controlling the situation. The difference of a hundredfold in the number of pumped atoms was simple for them. With so many extra atoms, the characteristics of the pressure control signal would be greatly improved, at least ensuring good short-term stability.

"Secondly, compared to lasers, magnetic separation is more complex. Even without control, this method is more troublesome. In fact, to achieve good results, we need to consider bipolar field dipole magnets, or even quadrupole and hexapolar magnets."

None of us have figured this out yet, but one thing is clear: the more extreme the numbers, the more troublesome it becomes. A counterexample to this is the magnetic monopole.

"Thirdly, this method reduces uncertainties in the magnetic separation state, such as..."

This part was completely incomprehensible to the comrades at the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building; they couldn't even take notes, utterly clueless about what Committee Member Gao was talking about. However, the conclusion was quite clear: it could further reduce uncertainty.

Professor Han listened with rapt attention. "I didn't know until you told me. Now that you've explained it, I understand. So that's how it is."

Actually, some of these things were discovered later in research on cold spring clocks and other studies, but it's not a big problem to talk about them now, since Gao Zhendong has the credentials of a top high-energy physicist.

Don't ask, it's just theoretical derivation and a flash of inspiration.

Gao Zhendong is adept at using someone else's name as a shield.

"Committee Member Gao, does that mean magnetic separation is completely useless?" Professor Han asked.

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "No, according to my research, when the volume and weight are not considered, magnetic separation can achieve a very ideal speed selection effect by using quadrupole and hexapole magnets. This is quite useful for frequency references where the volume and weight can be disregarded."

A frequency reference can directly provide the recurrence value defined by the atomic second and has the ability to independently assess the uncertainty of the recurrence value. In layman's terms, it is similar to the famous International Metre prototype, used to calibrate other clocks.

Professor Han nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I've got it!"
However, some colleagues are working on frequency benchmarks, and they're taking a different approach but are close to success. I'll just record it as a technical reserve for now.

Gao Zhendong said, "So the core of this thing is still this optically selective cesium beam tube. Professor Han, you are under a lot of pressure."

Professor Han didn't seem to care; he'd already gotten a huge advantage, taking on a significant portion of the pressure. However, the pressure was indeed immense. After all, others had already come this far, and if they themselves couldn't produce results, the pressure of losing face would be unbearable.

"Hey, I gave you a chance but you're useless. You might as well go back to the institute and guard the gate." Professor Han shuddered at the thought of his old classmates and colleagues mocking him after they found out about this.

No, this absolutely cannot be allowed to happen. Professor Han shook his head, composed himself, and asked, "Committee Member Gao, what do you think is a suitable arrangement for this work?"

"I'll trouble you a bit. You'll be in charge of the specific organization and implementation. After all, the most difficult part of this project is the cesium bundle tube. Everything else revolves around the cesium bundle tube, which is your area of ​​expertise. Let the other colleagues serve you," Gao Zhendong said with a smile.

In terms of technical skill, there might be some comrades from the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building who are more skilled than Professor Han. After all, the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building sent its top-notch soldiers and generals as soon as they heard that Gao Zhendong was coming.

However, when it comes to grasping the overall situation, no one is more suitable than Professor Han. In fact, Professor Han himself knows this, and his question was mainly to clarify things.

Therefore, no one objected to Gao Zhendong's arrangement.

"The funding issue..." It's not that Professor Han is stingy, but the research funds of the original research institute are mostly allocated by the superiors for the corresponding projects. It's impossible to say that they are short of money, but it's almost impossible for them to pay out of their own pockets.

Before Gao Zhendong could answer, a comrade from the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building laughed.

"Professor Han, you don't need to worry about this. Before we came, our ministry leaders said that no matter how much it costs, the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building will cover it." As the main force in exporting high-tech products, the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building is now very wealthy when it comes to money.

Other topics might require further discussion and decision-making, but who is this? This is Chief Engineer Gao! His topic doesn't need discussion! Before coming here, the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building had directly delegated the decision-making power regarding funding to the comrades attending the meeting.

There are no other requirements, just one: to win back as much market share as possible!
That's right, that's exactly what their leader said: this opportunity to spend money has to be seized!

Professor Han was taken aback. He believed that the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building would not normally have this attitude, at least not at this stage.

Looking at Gao Zhendong, who had no objections and was too lazy to say a word while smiling to the side, he knew why all of this was happening.

This shows that the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building had extreme confidence in this matter, believing it to have a very high success rate and equally high-level results. Of course, they trusted this person even more. It's said that the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building and Commissioner Gao were as close as brothers, and it seems that's indeed true.

Ministry of Machine Building: You would have done the same thing if you were in my shoes.

Gao Zhendong did have objections. In fact, he originally wanted to say that if they went to the National Defense Industry Committee to ask for donations, they would definitely be able to get funding, since this matter was originally a subsystem of theirs.

However, seeing how proactive the Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building was, he simply stopped talking. The Twelfth Ministry of Machine Building had money! It would be good to save some money for the National Defense Commission to do other things.

"Alright, then it's settled. However, you need to report this project to the National Defense Industry Committee, since it's their responsibility. Even if they don't have to contribute any money, it's the most convenient way to get all the cooperation and raw materials."

The comrades all nodded in agreement. Of course, putting everything else aside, it would be really difficult for other ministries and units to obtain cesium without going through the National Defense Commission.

After having a meal with his colleagues who had obtained all the data on the cesium clock, Gao Zhendong returned to his office and wanted to rest for a while when the phone rang.

After glancing at the color of the phone, Gao Zhendong sprang up from the sofa and grabbed the phone.

This came from the confidential channel.

Gao Zhendong had just greeted them when the person on the other end introduced themselves as being from a certain organization.

Gao Zhendong held the microphone between his fingers and typed a few numbers into a computer. A dozen seconds later, the computer sent back a few words.

Gao Zhendong glanced at it and felt relieved. There was no problem with his identity or the matter; it was all registered.

"Hello comrade, how can I help you?" Gao Zhendong felt like a telephone customer service representative. This association almost made Gao Zhendong laugh out loud; damn it, Lenovo is just unreliable.

The comrade on the other end was very patient, waiting for Gao Zhendong to finish his operation. He only spoke after hearing Gao Zhendong's voice.

"Hello comrade, the situation is like this..." It seems the other party doesn't know who the number belongs to either; it's probably a call forwarded from the National Defense Commission.

"So, you need a fire extinguishing agent, right?"

"Yes, the committee said you are very familiar with fire extinguishing agents, so they transferred the call to me." When Gao Zhendong was working on the automatic fire extinguishing and explosion suppression system, he launched several novel chemical fire extinguishing agents in one go.

However, Gao Zhendong dared not boast, mainly because the scope of this thing was too broad.

"I have some knowledge of him, but I can't guarantee I can solve your problem. What are your specific requirements?" If someone knows him well, they might be a little wary of his "some knowledge," thinking, "I don't believe you for a second."

"For solid fires, liquid fires, gas fires, electrical fires, etc., in small, enclosed spaces..."

Well, that's pretty complete, A, B, C, and E are all there, only F is missing. Gao Zhendong, who helped his senior sister find engineering design materials in his past life, still has some understanding of fire types.

However, this did not stump Gao Zhendong.

"Have you considered the gaseous fire extinguishing agents used on tanks?" Haron, basically tailor-made.

"No, this working environment is somewhat special. Long-term inhalation of this fire extinguishing agent is somewhat toxic." That's true. Long-term inhalation of fire extinguishing agents used on tanks is indeed somewhat toxic. They are used on tanks because after extinguishing the fire, the crew has to run away, or at least open the hatch for ventilation, so there won't be long-term inhalation.

"Just make sure to ventilate regularly."

"No, the work environment isn't well-ventilated." The other person's voice sounded somewhat helpless. Since they were able to find you, they must have considered Halon.

No ventilation? What's so difficult about ventilation... Gao Zhendong suddenly realized something.

(End of this chapter)