Chapter 520 Helpless Reality

At the same time when the STAR stellarator device completely ignited the heat on controllable nuclear fusion technology and shocked the entire plasma physics community, the city of Greifswald, which is located in the corner of the Baltic Sea, is still as usual. calm down.

Located in the Spiral Stone 7-X laboratory on the outskirts of this small city, researchers and engineers usually commute to and from get off work, usually finish the work at hand, and usually chat while drinking coffee during lunch break...

However, from everyone's face, more or less can see a little dull expression.

Just a few days ago, the paper published in "Science" completely shattered their pride.

They have always been ahead of the world in the research of stellarators.

Even if the PPPL laboratory in Princeton, which develops the technical route of stellarator, cannot have more say in the research of stellarator than them.

However, this advantage was completely changed just a few days ago.

The STAR device located in Jinling City, China, successfully achieved the confinement of 100 million-degree high-temperature plasma for one hour.

It is no exaggeration to say that the breakthrough of this technology not only drove them away by a large margin, but also stood beside the finish line.

The most frustrating thing is that they don't even know how the STAR device does it...

Looking at the paper in his hand, Kleiber's face was full of seriousness.

He has read the paper over and over a dozen times.

However, no matter how many times he read it, when he saw those dazzling data, he couldn't help but be shocked by the facts behind this paper.

The assistant Price standing next to him took a deep breath and couldn't help but speak.

"Unbelievable...how did they do it?"

Professor Kreber shook his head, and put the paper in his hand on the table: "I don't know, if I knew, we wouldn't be so passive now."

As the head of Helix 7-X laboratory, the pressure he bears is unimaginable for ordinary researchers.

After all, he was the one who convinced the Max Planck Society and the Helmholtz Association to facilitate the technology exchange agreement for the WEGA device.

Although the responsibility is not all on him, but he has repeatedly assured at that time that the WEGA device has lagged behind the Helix 7-X by at least two generations in all aspects of technology...

But now it seems that even if he still firmly believes in this point, it is estimated that not many people will believe it.

Price had a sudden thought, lowered his voice and said, "Could it be...a fake?"

Kleiber shook his head: "There is nothing wrong with the data itself, and the possibility of falsification is almost zero."

Price reminded in a low voice: "But that Professor Lu is a mathematician..."

What he really wanted to say was that this kind of Fields Medal-level tycoon wanted to falsify the data, and even if it was true, most people would not be able to see it.

However, Creber continued to shake his head and said seriously.

"I trust his academic reputation. Also, he has no reason to do such a thing."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a researcher walked in.

"Professor, Professor Milek, Chairman of the Helmholtz Association, and Mr. Norbert, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Economics and Energy, are now outside."

Hearing these two names, Professor Kleber sighed with a weary expression, put his hands on the armrests of the office chair, and slowly stood up.

"Got it, I'm going now."

...

The lobby on the first floor of the laboratory.

When Professor Kreber walked here from his office, he happened to see a group of people coming in from the outside in a hurry.

Looking at the two people in front, Professor Kleiber cleared his throat and squeezed out a slightly stiff smile on his face.

"Professor Millek, and Mr. Norbert, welcome to the Helix 7-X laboratory...what brought you here."

Professor Millek didn't smile, and said blankly: "Stop talking nonsense, take me inside."

Professor Kreber was slightly stunned: "Inside?"

"Screwstone 7-X."

"Helix 7-X? I'm sorry, there are no experiments scheduled for today—"

"Whether there is an experimental arrangement or not," Professor Millek said, staring at Kreber, "take me over there to have a look."

"it is good……"

Professor Kleiber's expression froze slightly, then he nodded.

In academia, whoever holds the funds is the father.

This is true no matter which country you are in.

Although Professor Kreber's mood is not very good at this moment, it can even be said to be quite bad, but he still has to hold back those negative emotions in his heart.

After all, the main research funding of the Helix 7-X laboratory is in the hands of the two big men in front of him.

Under the leadership of Professor Kleiber, the group walked towards the interior of the institute, and soon came to the laboratory where the Spiralite 7-X device was stored.

Arriving at the side of the giant steel beast crawling in the center of the laboratory, Professor Millek personally stepped forward and carefully inspected the instrument.

Seeing his unexplained movements, Professor Kleber asked.

"Are you satisfied?"

Taking two steps back, Professor Milek nodded, "Very good, still there."

Creber: "What's still there?"

Staring back at Kreber, Professor Milek said bluntly, "I thought you even sold your underwear for 500 million euros."

Hearing this sentence, Creber had a strange expression on his face.

"Although I don't know what caused you to have such a misunderstanding, you can rest assured, because...the Helix 7-X cannot do this."

Although such facts are helpless, facts are facts.

The one-hour magnetic confinement experiment probably had to burn the cladding material of their first wall until there was no slag left.

To put it bluntly, if all the outer field coils are replaced with SG-1 materials, and the control scheme is improved, it may be possible.

However, this is easy to say, but it takes a lot of time and money to actually do it...

And now, it's obviously not a good time to ask for money.

"That's the problem," at this time, Mr. Norbert, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Economics and Energy, who has been silent all the time, looked at Kreber and said slowly, "Why can the STAR device improved from the WEGA device be able to Do it, but the Spiral Stone 7-X that you spent five years modifying can't do it. Maybe my statement may not be academic enough, but I still want to ask, aren't you born by the same mother?"

The accompanying staff next to him had uncontrollable smiles on their faces.

Creber's eyebrows twitched violently, but he explained patiently.

"Yes, you're right. But they didn't just buy our WEGA device back. I can even assert that our WEGA has been transformed beyond recognition by them."

"They were able to achieve a magnetic confinement time of one hour. The key to the problem is not the things we sold them, but the superconducting magnets, and the matching control scheme... and some things that may only be possible for them. Clear secret."

Interrupting Professor Kreber's explanation, Norbert spoke.

"I'm not here to hear you explain why you failed."

"We have invested billions of euros in you, and you have been drawing us pie for decades. Now not only are we far away from the results, we are even caught up by a country that has done nothing on this technological route I have to say, this is not a pleasant thing. Even if it is to give our parliament and our allies a reasonable explanation, I want you to catch up."

Professor Kreber bit the bullet and said, "I'm doing it."

Staring into Professor Kreber's eyes, Mr. Norbert said word by word.

"Then don't just promise, let me see the results."

After that, Norbert turned and left with the accompanying staff.