atomic

In the 60s Spain wanted to experiment with gamma radiation. The result was an “atomic forest” in Alcalá

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Before rowing us and getting into work I propose a game. One fast, simple and above all curious. Open Google Maps, activates the satellite vision (with that of the street the effect will not be the same), write “Alcalá Atomic Garden” And then let the web transfer you to a point located near Meco and the Northeast HighwayA-2. There, Google’s red claw. Approximate. What do you see? Exact. A Huge circumference green Symmetric. Perfect As if they had drawn it with an XXL size compass. If you dedicate a couple of seconds you will appreciate that it is formed by concentric circles, a succession Tree rings Almost and leafy enough to stand out in bird view and that someone planted in their day around a clear center. It is not a mistake. It is history. More specifically the footprint of “El Encín Gamma Radiation Field”an installation that in its day, back in the last decades of Franco, stood out on the country’s scientific map. His chronicle is fascinating. Almost as much as the large 15 -hectare wooded square left in Alcalá and that, In words From the anthropologist Ambrosio Sánchez de Ribera, it is “a singularity” at European level. New times, new science The 50s and 60s were times of change. For the world, which gradually entered into The cold war. And of course for Spain, where Franco seemed to enter a new phase marked by developmentalism and a certain cracking of its international isolation, with milestones such as The signing of the concordat with the Holy See In 1953, the Pacts of Madrid or the entrance to the UN, In 1955. The 50 were also time for something else: nuclear energy. With still the recent memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki And in full arms race with Moscow, the US wanted international opinion not to focus only on the threat of atomic war and also value its civil and scientific uses. Probably the best proof of that effort is speech “Peace atoms”pronounced in 1953 by Eisenhower before the UN. “Instead of focusing exclusively on the dangers of atomic war, Eisenhower praised the Civil nuclear applications In agriculture, medicine and energy generation. He proposed to create an ‘international atomic energy organism’ that promoted the peaceful use of nuclear energy ‘for the benefit of humanity’ “, Remember Elisabeth Röhrlichhistorian of the University of Vienna. The result soon materialized: just Four years laterIn 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency (OIEA) was created. Spain, who had started his own (and shy) history with nuclear energy to late 40did not remain impermeable to those changes. In the 50 Patria Press (Node included) already talked about the US plants either United Kingdom and experiments with radioactive sources applied to medicine and agriculture. In 57 Madrid even hosted a European FAO summit on the subject. Thus, with that backdrop, around 1959, Spain decided to take another step and, with the key mediation of César Gómez Campoan engineer with experience in the USA, planned to create his own “Gamma Radiation Field”a focused specifically designed to perform “crop and seed irradiation experiments”. The chosen place: El Encín, a plot away from Alcalá where Gómez Campo himself had been conducting studies for Agronomic Research Institute. The project advanced relatively fast, as Ambrosio Sánchez de Ribera recalls in a broad (and very complete) essay About the Encín published in 2018 in Complutenses Annals. In 1961, what time was lifted would be an active scientific installation whose footprint still shows today from Google bird: a field of study of 440 square meters of diameter, an area of ​​15 hectares and 18,000 trees, although in 2018 there were only 5,000 left. A huge outdoor laboratory The Encín was a huge outdoor laboratory. One with a design as peculiar as its purpose. The field was circular and was formed by a series of concentric rings arranged around an axis. In the center there was a circle of 25 m radius with a removable hexagonal greenhouse. Inside it contained a lead sarcophagus that housed the source of radiation with which scientists operated, Cesio137 from used bars of American nuclear reactors. Around that central almond of 50 m in diameter, protected with a concrete wall and a stepped soil slope of several meters high to avoid the radiation output, the nearly 18,000 trees that completed the circumference of 15 hectares were distributed. Its purpose was to serve as extra screen against radiation. By way of auction, the center had a garden of large trees and several constructions where the staff had its offices and laboratories. Clarified what the Encín was the other great question: What did they do in it in the 60s? Basically experiment with radiation to find mutations that in last terms allow to achieve varieties of interesting vegetables, fruits or seeds for their characteristics. What is called induced mutagenesis. Gómez Campo himself explained In 1964, which centers such as El Encín were dedicated: “Essentially it consists of a gamma ray emitting source that is installed in an open field, so that the irradiation of growth or relatively bulky animals is possible.” Certain hours a day and for several months a year, at the Alcalá base the technicians opened the lead sarcophagus so that the gamma ray emitting source could act in the center of the field, the 50 m area of ​​diameter protected with a wall and slope in which plants, seeds, insects or some animals were exposed. “The dose received depended on the distance from Cesio137”, Sánchez de Ribera clarifies. When the years of irradiation ended the lead sarcophagus fell again, the caesium was locked and the researchers could access to work. The El Encín field worked 12 years, Between 1961 and 1973when his activity was complicated by the construction of a cement factory in the surroundings. The dust hindered research, so that in 73 it was decided to remove the radioactive source and transfer it to the Polytechnic University of Madrid. There he was only three years before embarking on … Read more

The US has restored the base of the Pacific that launched atomic bombing on Japan

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In December it was learned that the United States had carried out a curious test. In essence, He had shot herself a missile To see if he was able to neutralize it. That rare Avis took place in an “unbalanced territory” of the nation, on the island of Guam. A Pacific Strategic Eat whose geographical situation makes it “nuclear” objective. And if Guam does not work out, now we know that a plan B is ready. Strategic rebirth. The United States Company Planet Labswho monitor the possible changes and evolutions throughout the planet via satellite, has compiled a series of images that leave no doubt and ranging from December 2023 to January of this year. The historic North Field, on the island of Tinian, has just completely rehabilitated after having remained abandoned for more than 75 years. Originally built during World War II To launch the sad b-29 bombings About Japan, including The missions that took the atomic bombs to Hiroshima and Nagasakithe airfield clearly points to a reconstruction to become a key piece of the United States military strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. The images obtained show the complete progress in the restoration of 2,000 square meters of tracks, filming streets and other key infrastructure. Apparently, grid -shaped design, Inspired by Manhattan, New York, complicates enemy attacks by distributing strategic assets in a pattern difficult to neutralize with a single blow. Tinian: A key node. As we said, Tinian, currently part of the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands of the Northit is located about 200 km northeast of Guam, which makes it a strategic point to support US air operations in the Pacific. In fact and as we explain at the beginning, with the modernization of its airport, the Tinian International, and the expansion of its facilities, the island now offers a viable alternative in case the base Andersen in Guam be attacked or unused. There is talk of Several projects underway which include the expansion of tracking and streets, new fuel deposits in the main port of the island, the construction of a large parking platform for aircraft and the modernization of infrastructure for joint military operations between the Navy and the Air Force of USA. Tinian location, on the left, with Guam directly to the south. Wake Island, in the center, and Hawaii, on the right, are also marked Of abandonment to military avant -garde. We do not talk about one more place, of course. During World War II, North Field was the world’s largest air basewith four tracks almost 3 km long, sufficient space to house more than 500 B-29 bombers and an endowment of 40,000 troops. After the war, The base was abandoned in 1947 and remained inactive for a long time. In the 2000s and 2010, the Air Force carried out minor works to use one of its tracks in operations exercises on austere lands, but It was not until 2023 that the decision was made to recover the entire base as part of the strategy of the called as Agile Fuat Employment (ACE). AGILE COMBAT EMPLOYMENT: DISUNICATION BEFORE CHINA. Ace doctrine is based on The Air Force capacity to deploy forces quickly and flexible in improvised or remote bases, reducing their vulnerability to enemy attacks. North Field’s rehabilitation is part of this plan, allowing Military aircraft can operate from multiple locationsinstead of depending on fixed bases such as Andersen in Guam, which would be a priority objective in a conflict with China. Not just that. In addition, the Navy and the Air Force have implemented measures to disperse and hide strategic assetshindering the planning and execution of enemy attacks. In this regard, A recent report by Hudson Institute He pointed out that China could disable entire bases with only 10 missiles Loaded with submunitions, which makes the diversification of aerodromes such as Tinian fundamental for operational survival in a high intensity conflict. Rehabilitation and bunkers. While other countries, including China, seem to be strengthening its bases with bunkerized structuresthe United States Air Force has opted for a different strategy: not hardening bases, but make them more mobile and scattered. That said, There is a debate In the country on whether this strategy is the most appropriate in front of a rival like China, a nation that He has developed a missile arsenal precision capable of attacking bases throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Expanding versatility. It is the last of the legs that is understood after the progress. The Modernization of North Field It will also allow the operation of aircraft with capabilities Vertical or short landing (Stovl)as The F-35b of the Marines Corps. This type of aircraft can operate on improvised and remote tracks, increasing the flexible attack capacity of the United States in the region. In addition, the use of Mobile braking and electromagnetic catapult systems (EMALS) in land bases is also being evaluatedwhich would facilitate the operation of combat aircraft in airfields with shorter and fixed aircraft carrier infrastructure. Therefore, the recovery of the base in Tinian represents, a priori, a key piece in the new military architecture of Washington in the Pacific. Its rehabilitation offers greater operational flexibility, a possible Plan b To Guam, and complicates the enemy attack capacity while reinforcing the asset dispersion strategy in the region. Image | Planet Labs In Xataka | The United States fears that China’s long -range missiles will reach Guam. So he just launched one himself In Xataka | In 1940 a creature sneaked into an island in the United States and devoured everything. Today two of the most feared species for humans coexist alone

We have new evidence that there is a “dark atomic force” capable of “deforming” in the nucleus of atoms

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The atomic nucleus might seem well explored in an era in which scientists focus their efforts on better understanding quantum mechanics and interactions between subatomic particles that star in this science, such as Quarks or gluons. However, perhaps we still have much to learn about how the protons and neutrons that structure it are organized in this nucleus. New clues. A new study, led by PTB researchers (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt) German and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (MPIK), He has revealed The existence of small “deformations” in the nucleus of atoms. This finding indicates the possible existence of a “dark atomic force” that governs interactions between neutrons and electrons within the atom. From dark matter to “dark force.” In 2020, a MIT team (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) observed something strange when comparing different isotopes of the ytterbiumelement number 70. The team examined changes in electronic resonance between isotopes of the element (different versions of an element that differ from each other in the number of neutrons) and ran into results that were not expected. That experiment could have been the first time that someone crossed with an still inexplicated phenomenon that some call “dark atomic force.” This means basically that we are facing an interaction between particles (in this case neutrons and electrons) still unexplored. A force in this sense analogous to the most studied “dark matter”, which only interacts with conventional matter through gravity. According to Explain the responsible team From the new study, there is the possibility that there are also “dark forces” that govern interactions between dark matter and conventional matter. In the same way, there is the possibility that these forces also affect matter within the same atoms. Measuring deformations. Finding these hypothetical interactions is not easy. To find its trail, the team responsible for the new study measured the frequencies in the atomic transition and the isotopic mass ratios between the different isotopes of the iterbio. Each of the two laboratories that led this research analyzed these changes using a different methodology, but in both cases these measurements involved much more precise measures than those carried out in previous experiments. The team thus confirm the existence of an anomaly in the observations. The details of the experiment and its results were published In an article In the magazine Physical Review Letters. From practice to theory. In its article, the team tried to theoretically base the anomaly observed in the experiments as a result of collaboration with researchers from the Technical University of Darmstadt and other institutions. These data, They explainthey also allowed to extract direct information on the deformation of the nucleus in the different isotopes of the iterbio. This way of “looking inside” atoms could help us acquire a totally new perspective in the analysis of the heavy atomic nuclei and in the “matter rich in neutrons.” This line of research could, for example, help us better understand the physics of the neutron starsbut also establish new paths of collaboration in the search for the long -awaited “new physics”, they add. In Xataka | Milestone in Quantum Physics: MIT has measured for the first time the geometry of electrons in the quantum world Image | MPIK / PTB / Brookhaven National Laboratory

In 1956, the US published two maps that showed the contamination of atomic bombs. And they were key to spying on the enemy

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On July 16, 1945, it was a historic day: in Alamogordo, in the New Mexico desert, the First nuclear detonation in history. The Trinity test was a success that led to the development of the ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man’ bombs that, a few days later, They launched on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Before the test, the scientists bet on the results, with some bets that pointed to the destruction of the State of New Mexico, the ignition of the atmosphere and even the incineration of the planet. Obviously, that did not happen, but what did happen is that Each nuclear launch He sent a large number of particles to the atmosphere. And two maps published in 1956 reflected the consequences of these releases. Nuclear tests. Although the world was horrified by what happened in the two Japanese cities when the United States decided launch the only two nuclear bombs Used in combat so far, the powers continued to test the limits of the newly discovered technology. Thus, from the United States they continued with launches in Pacific Islands. Russia also quickly began to develop its nuclear program, with tests such as the ”Tsar pump‘That had about 3,000 times the power of the launched in Hiroshima. These launches by both countries were a muscle sample in full cold war, as well as a deterrent tool. ‘IVY Mike‘. One of the US test releases was that of ‘Mike‘, a bomb launched on November 1, 1952 that vaporized an island, leaving a crater of almost two kilometers and 50 meters deep. It was the first detonation of a hydrogen pump, causing a 3.3 -kilometer radio fire at the time of the explosion, with a fungus -shaped cloud that stabilized 41 kilometers high. Lookout Mountain studies immortalized the moment, adding later sound, since they recorded it without it. The rays were not part of the postproduction, but appeared just after the detonation: Disaster. The consequences for the Eneetak atolón in which it was launched were tremendous. The expansive waves devastated the vegetation not only of the objective island, Elaugelab, but of the closest. In addition, it caused a radioactive rain and ships almost 60 kilometers away saw how pieces of radioactive corals fell on the helmet. The area had remained seriously contaminated And, as we can see in these satellite images, Elfelab simply disappeared. THE ATOLON BEFORE AND AFTER IVI MIKE Atmospheric movement. With the rise of these tests, a team of researchers from the United States Meteorological Service published in the journal Science two maps that immortalized a historical fact: the trip of the radioactive particles around the globe. Declassified in 1956, the first one shows the global and relatively rapid atmospheric diffusion of radioactive particles. The explosion has a very clear starting point, but as soon as the particles enter the atmosphere, they continue their expansion through the rest of the globe thanks to the air currents. Radioactive particle dispersion. It was a very simple map, more than anything visual, but the second was much more explicit. It was a map of isoline Particles even to American and Canadian soil. In Europe, these radioactive particles had been largely diluted. Observation networks. It was not the first time that the movement of pollution had been studied, but it was somewhat reserved for great events, such as Krakatoa volcano explosion in 1883. With these maps, researchers wanted to demonstrate that, with the right tools, it was already easy to track volatile tracers in the atmosphere. And Ivy Mike’s were a good excuse to study. Researcher Sebastian Grevsmühl published the study A few years ago and comments that, apart from satisfying scientific curiosity, maps had a more pragmatic utility. On the one hand, they helped build the idea of ​​the world’s contamination on a global scale thanks to atmospheric movements, developing that everything has consequences. On the other, they were a tool that the nuclear powers had to monitor enemy atomic activities. Nuclear espionage. With these tools, Russian and American researchers could know if the opposite had detonated a nuclear artifact … even if he had not done it public, but also if they were using nuclear reactors or producing plutonium. So much so that, in 1949, the United States sought to determine the progress of the German nuclear bomb measuring Xenon-133 in the air. To do this, they used B-29 bombers and 24 land stations distributed by the planet to collect air samples that would determine if they were developing something. This is how, thanks to the collaboration with the British army, they discovered that, in 1949, the Soviet Union had successfully carried out a first nuclear test. Over the years, the tools evolved to cross radiological, seismic and sonic data that allowed to determine both the presence of radioactive elements and enemy nuclear bombs … and estimate their power. And much of that began with works like the one led to the two previous maps. Images | Sebastian V. Grevsmühl, Mit Press In Xataka | The amazing story of the man who survived the two atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

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