1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 643 A Shocking Speech! The Secrets Behind Nuclear Physics! @Thanks to [Tuantuanba] for the generous donation!
Borneo, Atomic Research Institute.

The atmosphere in the office was exceptionally lively today.

Professor Li will be present to sit in on the monthly group meeting.

Director Yu Yin brought all the institute's mentors and students to the event.

While everyone was excited, they also felt immense pressure.

"Buddha bless!"

"Don't let me mess things up on the spot!"

"Oh no, I'm missing one set of experimental results, so today's report won't be complete."

"."

Inside the large group meeting room, everyone was repeatedly pondering their research content.

Everyone wanted to make the best impression on Professor Li.

Li Qiwei and Yu Yin were having a private conversation.

he asked:
Has the research on cyclotrons encountered any difficulties?

Yu Yin took out the documents and said:
"We encountered some problems, but they were all solvable."

"The theoretical basis of cyclotrons is very sound, but there are some difficulties in engineering implementation."

"The design and manufacturing of the first prototype is expected to be completed by the middle of next year."

The diagram shows a circular instrument about 25 centimeters in diameter with a futuristic style; this is the cyclotron that Yu Yin wants to complete.

Its accelerated particles will reach 1 MeV, far exceeding the energy of Cockraf's linear accelerator.

Yu Yin was very confident that this would be the world's first cyclotron, a groundbreaking product!
When he first heard the idea of ​​the cyclotron, he was utterly impressed.

Without a doubt, it will lead humanity into the field of high-energy physics, a completely new field.

Li Qiwei nodded upon hearing this.

Instead of indulging in fantasies and building a super-large cyclotron directly, he focused on accumulating experience and cultivating talent.

"good."

"Once the cyclotron is developed, the development of nuclear physics will be greatly accelerated."

"Recently, Europe has made great strides in the field of nuclear physics."

"We can't fall behind either."

Nuclear physics research has gradually evolved into a race among nations, reflecting their respective strengths in the field of fundamental atomic physics.

This is somewhat similar to the previous superconductivity phenomenon, with various research institutions engaged in a frantic competition.

The Atomic Research Institute is one of the most important research institutes in Borneo and is also one of the core components of the Pangoal Project.

Currently, there have been few groundbreaking research results.

This made Yu Yin feel a little pressured.

He is the director of the Institute of Atomic Energy, and is responsible not only for his own research projects but also for the development of the entire institute.

He is a quiet person who likes to study alone.

But since his teacher had given him such a heavy responsibility, he had to make some changes.

Even if you don't like competition, you should learn to compete.

"Teacher, I understand."

Li Qiwei suddenly smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said:
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Nuclear physics currently lacks a mature theoretical framework, and everyone can only rely on luck to explore it."

"So even if there are no results, it doesn't mean anything."

Yu Yin deeply agreed.

This is why those top physicists have become silent in the field of nuclear physics.

Now it's the era of the younger generation, such as Elena and Cockraf.

Because young people can stay up all night and work out.
At this moment, Li Qiwei casually asked:
"By the way, how's that experiment I gave you coming along?"

When this topic came up, Yu Yin immediately became excited.

"Teacher, I repeated Bote's experiment and found some interesting things."

"I'll show this to you at the group meeting today."

Yu Yin still finds it incredible to this day.

It turns out that half a month ago, Li Qiwei suddenly contacted Yu Yin and asked him if he had read the November 20th issue of Nature.

Of course he had seen it; the cover article stated that the Cavendish Laboratory had found a second artificial radioactive element.

But Li Qiwei then asked:

Have you read that paper on beryllium rays?

Yu Yin was stunned. He remembered that he seemed to have seen it before, but he didn't have any recollection of it.

He quickly searched through all the papers in that issue and finally found an article about beryllium rays, written by German scholars Bot and Becker.

However, like most people, he did not think that the paper was anything special.

Therefore, he asked:

"Teacher, is there anything wrong with this paper?"

Li Qiwei said:
“I’ve met Bot once. He’s a physicist with a wide range of interests and often has some interesting ideas.”

"But it's clear that he didn't delve deeper into the topic of beryllium rays in this paper."

"I suspect it's because his research institute doesn't have the necessary equipment."

"I actually find this paper quite interesting."

Yu Yin was immediately curious.

Since even the teacher said it was interesting, then perhaps everyone else has misjudged it.

This paper, published only in a Nature sub-journal, may be extraordinary.

Li Qiwei said:
"Bote bombarded elements with alpha rays. In theory, this should have produced either protons, artificial radioactivity, or nothing at all."

"But he discovered gamma rays."

"I remain skeptical of this result."

"I hope you can replicate and improve his experiments, and conduct in-depth research on the so-called beryllium rays."

After listening to the analysis, Yu Yin thought about it carefully and realized that it made perfect sense.

Therefore, he spent this time studying Bot's experiments and actually discovered some strange things.

At this moment, Li Qiwei, seeing that it was almost time, said:

"Let's go, don't keep everyone waiting too long."

Yu Yin said with a smile:

"Teacher, I have prepared ten minutes for your opening remarks."

Li Qiwei was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

He actually fell for Yu Yin's trick.
-
In the conference room.

When Li Qiwei and Yu Yin entered together, the entire room erupted in thunderous applause, and everyone looked excited.

Li Qiwei smiled as he looked at everyone present.

He also recognized several familiar figures: Rao Mintai, Hu Gangfu, Li Shuhua, and Sun Guofeng.

Rao Mintai was Yu Yin's graduate student, and the other three were Qian Wushi's graduate students.

After graduation, all four stayed on to work at the Institute of Atomic Energy, where they have now become key members of the institute.

Some have even been promoted to associate professor and started supervising their own students.

They will all be the main force of the Pangu Project.

These young and frail bodies carried the fate and dignity of the nation on their shoulders!
After the applause gradually subsided, Li Qiwei spoke:
"I originally just wanted to sit in and see how everyone's recent research results are going."

"But your Professor Yu made me give the opening speech at the last minute, which is simply unethical."

Everyone laughed.

"Nuclear physics is probably the hottest topic in physics right now, comparable to quantum mechanics back then." "And it is indeed worth talking about."

“Recently, I have often heard some people say that nuclear physics is related to luck and has nothing to do with strength.”

"New discoveries are all based on blind luck, not on logic and analysis."

"I would like to share my thoughts on this."

Wow!
Everyone's expressions instantly turned serious.

This is a very crucial question.

"I believe that behind all the appearances of the discipline of atomic science, there is actually a common essence."

"That is the interaction between matter and matter, and between matter and electromagnetic waves."

"Let me give you a vivid example."

"Take X-rays as an example."

"When Professor Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895, the physics community at the time was simply astonished."

"Because no existing physical theory can explain this phenomenon."

"Simply passing an electric current through the cathode tube can produce this incredible ray."

"Later, Professor Thomson discovered the electron, and people finally had a certain understanding of the generation of X-rays."

"The cathode of the cathode tube is a tungsten wire. When heated, it releases electrons. This is the principle of thermoelectric electron emission."

"These electrons form a high-speed electron flow under the high voltage of the cathode tube."

"Then, the electron beam strikes the metal target of the anode, thereby generating X-rays."

"Therefore, the essence of X-rays is the result of the interaction between high-speed electron flow and metal target."

"But a new question arises: what is the nature or process of this interaction?"

"There was still no answer at the time."

"The true nature of X-rays was only revealed after the atomic structure was understood."

There are two types of X-rays: continuous X-rays and characteristic X-rays.

"When a high-speed electron collides with a metal target, it is subjected to an electric force under the influence of the electric field of the target atom nucleus, causing its speed and direction to change drastically."

"At this point, some of the electron's kinetic energy will be converted into photons and radiated out."

"These photons are X-rays."

"According to the calculation formula."

Li Qiwei demonstrated on the blackboard as he spoke.

The audience was thrilled.

The feeling of tearing it apart by hand is just so satisfying.

Moreover, this is the first time most people have come to understand the generation of X-rays so profoundly.

Previously, they only knew the method of generation, but not the essence of generation.

"The results show that factors such as the voltage of the cathode tube, the position of the electrons near the target nucleus, and the size of the target nucleus all affect the energy of X-ray photons."

"Therefore, the X-rays produced by this method are continuous in the spectrum."

"Its wavelength is a range rather than a specific value."

"Therefore it is called continuous X-ray."

"However, there is a second possibility when high-speed electron flow collidees with a target."

"That means it hits the inner electron of the target atom exactly."

"According to the Bohr-Lee model, when an inner-shell electron of an atom is knocked out, an outer-shell electron may jump in to replace it."

"Because the energy of outer electrons is higher than that of inner electrons, outer electrons release energy during the downward transition process."

"This energy will also be radiated out in the form of photons."

"Moreover, the energy of this photon is only related to the energy levels of the two orbitals, and has nothing to do with other factors."

"This is what is known as a characteristic X-ray."

Wow!
Everyone suddenly felt as if they had seen the light after the clouds had parted.

Professor Li explained the essence of X-rays in a simple and easy-to-understand way using only two diagrams and formulas.

Even undergraduates interning at research institutes understood it.

What is a master?

That's what a master is like!
At this point, Li Qiwei continued:

"Based on this, other content can be added."

"For example, if the high-speed electron beam is replaced with X-rays, then the experiment becomes the Wu-Compton effect, which explains the collision between X-rays and electrons."

"In short, don't try to memorize all those complex bombardment experiments in atomic science."

"What kind of rays strike what kind of target material, and what kind of particles are produced, etc."

"While there was an element of luck involved in the creation of these experiments, the underlying principles were derived through logical analysis."

"Take artificial radioactivity, which has been the hottest topic recently, as an example."

"I can demonstrate for everyone, using the same thinking I just used to try to explain the essence behind this experiment."

"The aluminum foil used by Elena is represented by the isotope Al-27."

"That is, there are 13 protons and 14 neutrons in the atomic nucleus, which is also the most stable isotope of aluminum."

"When an alpha ray strikes an atomic nucleus, assuming it is completely captured by the aluminum nucleus, the nucleus then becomes 15 protons and 16 neutrons."

"It is clear that the atomic nucleus has become P-31."

"But P-31 is the most stable isotope of phosphorus, and it cannot be radioactive."

Therefore, the assumption is incorrect.

"Let's assume again that after the aluminum nucleus captures an alpha particle, it is very likely that it also releases a neutron."

"At this point, P-31 becomes P-30, which is a phosphorus isotope that has never been discovered before and is very likely to be radioactive."

"As for what kind of rays this P-30 will emit, that needs to be verified by experiments."

"Perhaps we will make some very interesting discoveries."

hiss!
Everyone gasped.

"Professor Li is absolutely amazing!"

"He actually explained the nature of artificial radioactivity!"

"Many people are still trying to replicate Dr. Elena's experiments in an attempt to find more artificial radioactive elements."

"But Professor Li stood on a higher level; he perfectly explained Dr. Elena's experiment with his theory."

"No, calling it perfect is a bit of an exaggeration, after all, it's just a conjecture."

Immediately, the entire meeting room was abuzz with discussion.

Rao Mintai and the others were deeply shocked!
The content just mentioned could even be written into a great academic paper, definitely worthy of a cover story.

But for Professor Li, it was just an impromptu opening speech.

This gap is so large that it's beyond anyone's reach.

The honors that the world pursues are merely a tiny ray of light he radiates.

Finally, Li Qiwei concluded:
"Therefore, I hope everyone can understand that atomic research and nuclear physics research are absolutely not just a matter of luck."

"We need to think more and think more deeply about the surface phenomena in order to understand the underlying essence."

"Using interaction as a means and particle change as the focus, we combine theory and experiment."

"When you encounter uncertain phenomena, then boldly put forward conjectures."

Wow!
Thunderous applause erupted in the hall.

Yu Yin sighed inwardly:
“Every time I listen to my teacher’s lecture, I miss the time when I was focused on academic research.”

"Without any external interference, one can immerse oneself in the sea of ​​pure rational logic and enjoy the beauty of science."

(End of this chapter)