nuclear

The undercover operation of Ukraine has left an irreparable hole for Russia. Its nuclear deterrence has jumped through the air

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If they had told us that a fleet of trucks disguised as mobile houses was going to enter Russia in a covert operation of a year and a half, and that after that time a swarm of more than 100 drones would attack with surgical precision several air bases of Moscow, we would not have believed it. However, and beyond A mission That seems more typical of a Hollywood film, the operation has meant a hole for Russia that can hardly be replaced in the short term. A letter clue In negotiations. Unprecedented. It We count yesterday. On June 1, 2025, Ukraine carried out the greatest operation with war drones to date, launching 117 drones against at least four Russian air bases in a coordinated attack that had as its direct objective the backbone of Russian strategic aviation: its long -range bombers. Until then, the Ukrainian attacks on these platforms had been sporadic and limited to a single location, but this blow, simultaneously executed against Belaya, Olenya, Dyagilevo and Ivanovo, says A radical change in the Ukrainian capacity to penetrate deeply in Russian airspace and degrade key strategic assets. Figures While there is still uncertainty about the exact number of destroyed or damaged aircraft, Ukraine claims to have impacted At least 41 aircraftwith 13 of them completely destroyed, including bombers Tu-22m3, TU-95msan early alert plane A-50 and possibly a TU-160 Blackjackthe most sophisticated bomber in Russia. An irreplaceable fleet. The importance of these bombers is not only in their conventional offensive capacity, but Its nuclear role within the Russian strategic triad. If the Ukraine figures are confirmed, the damages would be equivalent to a loss of the 10% of the force TU-95ms operational, for example, an alarming percentage considering that these aircraft have no immediate replacement. The TU-95ms, designed in the fifties and produced until the early nineties, It has been modernizingbut its value is more strategic than monetary. In the case of TU-22m3, another relic of the Cold War, its current use has been marked by devastating bombings with KH-22 missiles converted, causing Large number of deaths civilians in Ukraine. The loss of several of these airplanes greatly complicates their replacement. For its part, the TU-160the only one of these models still in production, represents a minimal fraction of the fleet and each unit costs more than 500 million dollars. Plus: Build new It has been for years and requires an industrial infrastructure diminished by sanctions. Your 22m3 Blow to nuclear deterrence. The Ukrainian attack, by Its scope and precisionnot only neutralizes short -term attack capacity, but also weakens Russia’s credibility as nuclear power. These bombers constitute the most flexible part of their Dysuasoria triadnot only for its role in conventional conflicts, but for its ability to launch nuclear missiles from remote distances. In addition, they also fulfill symbolic functions, patrolling the airspace of Europe, Asia and even approaching Alaska’s environment As a sample of force. The loss of aircraft in this sector undermines that projection. Moscow has repeatedly argued that attacks on its strategic abilities represent a red line, but so far it has not responded proportionally To attacks that have been growing in scope and intensity. This operation, however, marks An climb difficult to ignore. At 50u Structural vulnerability. The attack has also clearly exposed the persistent vulnerability of the Russian aviation on land. Although defensive measures implemented from previous attacks (such as aircraft dispersion, anti -explosive wallsreinforced shelters, models painted on tracks and wings tires To confuse drone guidance systems), the infrastructure has not achieved Protect airplanes whose large size even prevents them from protecting them completely. In fact, they were used junk aircraft Like lures, but none of that avoided the damage. The anti -aircraft defenses installed in the bases have been insufficient once again. The dispersion of bombers to remote places such as Olenya or Belaya intended to complicate Ukrainian attacks, but failed to avoid a huge scale and precision. Doctrinal change and a threat. Also We count widely yesterday. The Spiderweb Operation Not only demonstrated the technical capacity of Ukraine to infiltrate enemy territory with small and cheap drones, but also an emerging war doctrine focused on saturate and erode assets clue. This tactic not only damages expensive equipment with economic means, but it forces Russia to deploy even more Resources in static defensereduces its operational freedom and generates constant uncertainty. While Moscow launches nightly hundreds of drones against Ukraine, kyiv showed that he can strike back at unthinkable distances only one year ago. And it also does it with tools that evolve: the use of drones with improved countermeasures is expected, artificial intelligence To avoid The Jamming and the elimination of the human pilot in real time, which will further difficult to detect and neutralization. Putin and invulnerability. Bloomberg had Another leg that must be analyzed after the attack. Beyond the exact count of destroyed airplanes, the mission has shaken the Kremlin environment. The internal reaction itself has been alarm, anger and recognition of a scenario so far unthinkable: that nuclear assets can be legitimate and effective white from a country that No nuclear armament. Although the number of bombers needed to attack Ukraine is limited and Moscow could maintain its rhythm of envestidas, the underlying message seems clear: there is no territory Absolutely safe. This perception directly affects the Force projection that Putin has cultivated for two decades and erodes his rhetoric of strategic supremacy. The nuclear triad, touched. We said it at the beginning. Long -range aviation is the smallest component (and now, more damaged) Russian nuclear triadalso composed of intercontinental and strategic submarine ballistic missiles. Although bombers are frequently used in conventional missions, they are also part of the global deterrent gear. Its symbolic character as nuclear projection instruments add a layer of gravity to the attack. Even if its operating role within the nuclear arsenal is secondary to missiles or submarines, the perception that they can be neutralized from the interior of Russia represents that doctrinal change … Read more

If something did not need the Ukraine War it was to enliven the conflict in an occupied nuclear power plant. Russia thinks different

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The paradox of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is that it has been closed for three years and everyone wants to “open.” Without going far, the United States was the last nation to hint that it would be delighted to restart her. The problem is that it is in Ukraine, although Taken by Russiaand in the middle of a war whose end does not stick. Moscow knows that he has an energy pressure tool, but some satellite images have revealed much more. The space betrays. The story took this week The New York Times. Through new satellite images analyzed by Greenpeace and verified by the American environment, it has been revealed that Russia is building more than 80 kilometers of electric lines in the south busy of Ukraine with the aim of connecting the Zaporiyia nuclear plant to its own energy network. Covert reopening. This maneuver, until now without Russian official confirmation, represents the clearest signal until the intention of Moscow’s intention to reactivate and exploit the largest central in Europe, forcibly in the first bars of the invasion. Although its six reactors were gradually turned off (the last in 2023) for security reasons and due to nearby fightingRussia seems determined to return it to operationchallenging the warnings of international experts that consider that operating it under these conditions would be a nuclear risk first order. The Russian Plan seeks surround the current damage In the old 750 kilowol lines that connected the central with the Ukrainian network, two of which are going through areas under Kyiv control, and two others that have been useless or deteriorated by the war. Unprecedented use. If specified, this would be the First time in history in that a power at war restarts and uses an occupied nuclear plant for its own energy benefit. Russia, through the state Rosatom, has openly shown Your ambition: its general director He said recently that the dream of reactivating Zaporiyia is still alive and that there is already a technical plan to return the plant to full capacity. The Russian intention does not seem to maintain territorial control of the complex, but to integrate it directly into the national electricity network, possibly and According to the Timesconnecting it with the Russian region of Rostov, which would require even more infrastructure. As we said at the beginning, the United States proposed a peace plan that included the return of the plant to Ukraine under international management (specifically American), In an attempt to avoid its use as a geopolitical tool. Russia He rejected sharply said option. Various risks. No doubt, we don’t talk about simply pressing the “ignition” button. In fact, the possibility of reactivating the central has awakened alarms Among nuclear experts. Since his shot, much of the Ukrainian technical staff has fled, leaving the plant No qualified operators. In addition, the Kajovka dam hole months ago (widely attributed to Russia), it eliminated the main source of water from the reactor refrigeration system and spent fuel, raising thermal and fusion risks in case of a failure. For its part, the Minister of Energy of Ukraine He warned that any Russian unilateral attempt to restart reactors could have unpredictable consequences. To all this is added The possibility of sabotage, military attacks or operational failures in a plant already located in an active combat zone. The consequences of a nuclear escape would not be limited to the region: the impact on the environment, human health and the energy stability of Europe would be unpredictable (and possibly devastating). A high voltage piece. As we have coming countingthe status of the Zaporiyia plant has become a power sheet in the peace negotiations. While Russia progresses (slowly) in her Technical reconnectionThe United States and its allies press to include their status in the terms of any future solution. The satellite images Recent, which reveal transmission lines advancing near the town of Shevchenko and towards a key substation linked to the complex, confirm that Moscow not only wants to retain control, but to turn the plant into a Active source of energy for your network. If you want also, snapshots from space reveal a deeper strategy: to consolidate the economic and energy control of the territories occupied as part of a Possible post -stroke. However, any attempt by Moscow to reactivate the plant without international consensus not only defies the rules of war law, but also brings us an unpublished threshold of nuclear insecurity. Image | Planet Labs, Via Greenpeace In Xataka | The largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been closed by the war in Ukraine. Now the United States wants to reopen In Xataka | We already know a hole that Russia has left in Ukraine: the Chernobil shield is still open and there is no money to close it

brings us closer to a nuclear spatial war

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The antimisile shield that Donald Trump wants to put in the land orbit has triggered a forceful reaction of the Kim Jong-un regime. The word is Nuclar. The North Korean Foreign Ministry has described the Golden Dome project as “the height of arrogance and arrogance”, according to North Korean state media. The Pionyang cabinet accuses Washington of being “determined to militarize the outer space,” and warns that the initiative It could trigger “a global nuclear and spatial arms race”, turning the earth’s orbit into “a potential nuclear war field.” What is the Golden Dome. An antimile shield that, despite its name Inspired by Israel’s iron domewould use multiple layers of detection and interception “by land, sea and space”, including a network of sensors and interceptors deployed in orbit, such as a satellite constellation. So ambitious is the project that, as announced by Trump and its Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegesh, would mean a “generational investment.” The White House has spoken of 175,000 million dollars over three years to be operational before 2029. The Congress Budget Office estimates that only space interceptors could cost up to 542,000 million dollarswith a two -decades deployment period. The promise is ambitious. A shield capable of demolishing hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles, even if they are thrown from the other side of the world or from space, in all phases of attack. Technology would be based on both existing systems and new developments. According to Reuters, a consortium led by Spacex, Palantir Technologies and Anduril Industries leads the race To display detection satellitesbased on the Starlink constellation. The hypothetical armed satellites for missile interception from space are the technologically most challenging and mysterious part of the project, among other things because they would have to be resilient to attacks with anti -attack weapons, that several powers have. An armed space. North Korean critic of the Golden Dome resonates with China’s, which Last week he expressed His “serious concern” for the “strong offensive implications” of the American antimile shield. Beijing accuses Washington of seeking “absolute security for itself” under a “United States first” policy, which “undermines global strategic balance and stability.” However, countries such as China and Russia have also advanced positions in the militarization of space, with satellites that pursue other satellites, secret deployments and spy spy airplanes. Image | White House Archives (2019) In Xataka | Russia, China and North Korea have hypersonic weapons. The US has decided to defend itself with its own iron dome

In 1971 the Soviet Union decided to end the droughts. So he started throwing nuclear bombs into the rivers

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The story took place in the 1970s, when the Soviet Union launched one of the most ambitious and far -fetched engineering projects in its history: diverting the course of the great Siberian rivers so that, instead of flowing towards the Arctic, they would transport its waters to the arid regions of the south, such as Central Asia and the south of Russia. The problem was the solution to achieve it: they turned to “Pacific” nuclear explosions To dig colossal channels. The impossible epic. As we said, to carry out such a plan, Soviet planners did not spare in extreme methods. The most emblematic episode was the experiment called Like “Taiga” of 1971, in which three equivalent nuclear devices To the Hiroshima bombs They triggered simultaneously underground to create a channel that connected the basins of the Ríos Pchora and Kama. What happened? That the only thing was the known today Like Nuclear Lakea body of still radioactive water in the middle of the boreal forest, and an ambitious dream that ended up being a monumental failure. Despite the use of low -fission explosives, The detonations They were detected until In Sweden and the United Statesunleashing international convictions for violate the treaty of partial prohibition of nuclear tests. Soviet logic. The idea of redirect rivers It was not really new: already at the end of the 19th century, thinkers as Igor Demchenko They dreamed of flooding the depressions of the Caspian and the Aral to improve the climate. Under Stalin and, later, during the Cold War, the project acquired A new impulse. For the Soviets, the immense water flow that flowed to the uninhabited north was an intolerable waste. On the other hand, taking it to the south could make Central Asia an agricultural vergel, save the dying Aral Sea and, incidentally, affirm the Soviet power over the Central Asian republics. With the support of almost 200 scientific institutes and dozens of thousands of peoplechannels of up to 1,500 km were planned to divert 10% of the water from the OB and Irtish rivers to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Inspired by feats like Roman aqueducts and convinced that man had submit to naturethe leaders planned to complete the titanic work For the year 2000. The fall of the hydraulic myth. However, the magnitude of the project caused an unprecedented reaction. During the 80s, the opposition of scientists, writers and intellectuals became one of the First environmental campaigns massive in the history of the USSR. Figures like the hydrologist Serguéi Zalyguin They denounced not only the exorbitant cost and the low scientific support of the plan, but also the iEcological mpactos Catastrophic that would bring: climatic alterations, loss of unique habitats, flooding of cultural sites, and even possible changes in Siberian ice formation. The final blow came with the sadly famous Chernobyl disaster In 1986. The tragedy, which evidenced the risks of nuclear power Badly managed, he diverted resources and political attention, and just four months later, Mikhail Gorbachov formally canceled the river investment plan. For some, it was a response to environmental pressurebut for others, simply the recognition that the USSR already I couldn’t pay for it. Zombie idea. Although the project seemed buried together with the Soviet Union itself, The BBC counted that his spirit has persisted. Throughout the decades, figures such as former Moscow Yuri Luzhkov have advocated for retaking it. And in February 2025, two Russian scientists returned to Defend the idea In a National Journal, arguing that the current technical advances and the geopolitical reorientation of Moscow made Asia more viable. Some have even suggested that reducing the discharge of warm water to the Arctic could mitigate climate change, although studies such as The Oceanographer Tom Rippeth They warn otherwise: altering the flow of rivers could destabilize the stratification of the Arctic Ocean and accelerate the thaw. Resource as identity. If you want also, beyond its technical or ecological justifications, the river reversion project represents a vision deeply imperial: Russia as a power that dominates not only territories, but vital resources. The possibility of transferring water Towards Chinafor example, would fit with the extractivist model that has defined the country for centuries. As Historian Paul Josephson pointed outit was a form of internal colonization, to “modernize” Central Asia through public works and Slavic settlements, imposing the seal of the Soviet state into the landscape. That mentality lasts and, for some, Siberian water remains an underutilized treasure that must one day channel towards economic development and political power. Radioactive legacy. It is the last of the legs to analyze for the events that took place. Today, The nuclear lake It remains one of the few visible vestiges of this colossal hydraulic fantasy. Although radiation levels have decreased, some areas remain dangerous. The lake, surrounded by mounds of earth and oxidized warning signs, is visited by curious Like blogger Andrei Fadeevwhich described the BBC as “a beautiful place, apparently quiet, but with invisible scars.” As allegory, the landscape encapsulates the ambition out of context of the project: transform rivers with atomic pumps, fold the will of nature with underground explosions and turn water into a geopolitical domain tool. Surprisingly, half a century later, the idea has not died at all. Image | Dmitry TerekhovSentinel In Xataka | In 1958, the US wanted to simulate a nuclear attack against the USSR: he ended up releasing a bomb on the coast of one of his own cities In Xataka | In the 50s United Kingdom he had an idea to bend the pulse to the USSR: a nuclear bomb with live chickens

China’s military and civil nuclear capacity grows at an unprecedented rate. The US does not take away your eyes off

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China has deservedly consolidated as the country to which all the nations that bet on nuclear energy look. It currently has 58 nuclear reactors whose joint capacity is approximately 61 GWE (electric gigawatts). Besides, It has another 28 reactors under construction that will add additional 33.65 GWE. And just a month ago the State Council approved the construction of 10 more nuclear reactors. China is already the second country with more machines of this type, only behind the US. In any case, the best asset of this Asian country is its commitment to innovation. And the reactor of Molten Sales and Torio TMSR-LF1 is a very valuable letter of presentation. This machine received the approval of the Chinese Nuclear Safety Administration in mid -June 2023 after having successfully completed the initial testing phase that started in 2021. and since then the itinerary that had set the Institute of Applied Physics of Shanghai, which is the institution responsible for its tuning. As explained by the American nuclear engineer Nick Touran In your tweetthe TMSR-LF1 reactor officially entered into operation on October 11, 2023. A few months later, on June 17, 2024, He started working at full power. And on October 8 of last year the technicians who operate it detected protacinium-233 (PA-233), a radioactive isotope intermediate derived from the transformation of the thorium into Uranium-233 as part of the fuel cycle of the thorium. This nuclear reactor is in the Minqin industrial complex of the province of Gansu, in northern China. It has a power of 2 thermal megawatts (MWT), and, although it will not be the first Fourth Generation Nuclear Reactor In activity, and not the first one that Torio will use as fuel, it will be the first of molten salts that will use this chemical element. However, the ambition of this Asian country does not end here; It is already planning to build a molten salts and more capacity sales reactor for 2030. The modernization of China’s nuclear arsenal is accelerating Nuclear physics has two faces. We all know that the knowledge that has given us can be used to generate electricity and favor the development of large population masses, as we have just seen, but it can also be used to produce weapons of mass destruction. China carried out its first test with an atomic bomb in 1964. Initially its scientists had the help of Soviet nuclear engineers, but this alliance was broken in 1959 and the country that was then led by Mao Zedong was forced to continue with this project without having any external help. This isolation did not prevent China from carrying out the first test with a hydrogen bomb in 1967, just three years after launching its first atomic bomb. During the next three decades the Chinese nuclear armament continued advancing, although Mao never aspired to deal with the number of atomic and hydrogen bombs With the US or the Soviet Union first, and Russia later. His doctrine pursued China’s survival by resorting to deterrence, but without directly involving themselves in the cold war that the two hegemonic powers held at the end of the 20th century. “Beijing has the ambition to create a wide sphere of influence in the regions of the Indian and the Pacific, as well as becoming the leading world power” The funny thing is that everything changed during the first decade of the 21st century. China’s economic capacity was growing and its scientific and technical development during the second half of the twentieth century had been out of all doubt. The US government was already realized that this Asian country was consolidating as a superpower Able to dispute your world supremacy. This was the context in which the tension between these two countries was born that seems to be currently reaching its peak. The following literal extract of the document that collects The National Security Strategy Published by the US government in October 2022, it reflects very clearly why it considers China a threat: “The People’s Republic of China (RPC) is the only competitor that has both the intention of remodeling international order and, increasingly, more and more Economic, diplomatic, military and technological capacity To do so. Beijing has the ambition to create a wide sphere of influence in the regions of the Indian and the Pacific, as well as to become the leading world power. “These lines perfectly condense the background history that has triggered the international situation in which we meet. If we stick to its military development the US Department of Defense He estimates that China currently has an arsenal made up of More than 600 nuclear eyeletsand plans to increase this figure until reaching 1,000 eyelets in 2030. USA and Russia have an arsenal of approximately 5,200 and 5,500 eyelets respectively, although many of them are in reserve and others will be dismantled. China has less eyelets, it is evident, but at least rivals with the US if we stick to the sophistication of its intercontinental ballistic missiles, its nuclear submarines, its bomber and its hypersonic missiles. Let us trust that China, the US, Russia and the other nuclear powers enter and stop this climbing of the nuclear weapons. Image | Пресguese More information | US Department of Defense In Xataka | China prepares the mate to the US: it will have its own UVE lithography team to make chips in 2025

The digital attack that paralyzed a nuclear plant without bombs and without anyone seeing it

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More than a decade ago, the world discovered a new type of weapon. I had no eyes or soldiers. Only lines of code. It was called Stuxnet and was able to sabotage an Iranian nuclear complex without internet connection. A computer worm that destroyed centrifuging designed to enrich uranium. Without alerts. No explosions. Without anyone knowing, at first, what was happening. All that we tell in our New Xataka episode presentsAvailable in the Xataka YouTube channel. Our partner Jota García, who reconstructs step by step how an operation of this caliber is told. The story starts in Natanz, an underground installation, hidden under tons of concrete in full Iranian desert. “From the outside it seems not special (…) but underground, thousands of centrifuging work work in full performance,” he says. Who decided to act? And why wasn’t a direct military intervention chosen? Apparently, with Iraq’s precedent, that road was ruled out by the country that wanted to stop this Iranian project. The alternative was Develop malware With a concrete mission: destroy without being seen. “And if instead of attacking with soldiers, we attack a computer virus?” Jota says. The trick? Infiltrate a simple pendrive in a completely isolated network. Once inside, the worm camouflaged. I watched. I expected. And only if I found the right industrial controllers, I went to action. “He didn’t attack immediately. He moved silently, analyzing everything around him.” Thus he managed to sabotage about a thousand centrifugators without the technicians being able to explain what he was failing. But there was an error. Malware spread out of Iran and ended up arriving in the West. What happened then? Who discovered the code? And what did they find inside? In the video we review how an investigation of The New York Times connected Stuxnet with the NSA, the CIA and the Mossad. Also the clues that analysts found in malware. “Stuxnet exploded four 0-Day vulnerabilities at the same time. An irrefutable proof that there was not a group of normal hackers.” Since then, nothing has been the same. Stuxnet was the first great digital attack with physical consequences. “Stuxnet was the first notice. The first great warning that the next wars can be invisible. ” Today, security threats are still present. We see them in hospitals paralyzed by Ransomware, sabotaged pipelines, In bank malware that empties accounts. Even USB pendrives remain a real threat in many organizations. Did you know this story? To what extent do you think We are protected today? We invite you to give the play in our video and leave your comments. Images | Xataka In Xataka | This hacker began to collaborate with the secret service after being arrested. What nobody knew is that he kept stealing big

The problems of nuclear fusion are falling behind each other. Optimism cornering denialism

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The challenges raised by the nuclear fusion intimidate. And it is to replicate on our planet and small scale the same reactions that take place in The interior of the stars It is a titanic challenge. Even so, The human being has already traveled A very important part of this path. There is a belief that defends that in the field of nuclear fusion we have barely advanced since World War II, but, as we will see in this article, it is not so. There is much to do, but we have advanced a lot. In order for electric power plants equipped with fusion reactors to be viable, it is necessary to solve problems that are still dealing with engineers. And it is that the challenges posed by nuclear fusion right now reside in the field of engineering, and not in that of basic science. In fact, Spain will actively participate In the search for the solution to one of these problems thanks to IFMIF-DONES (International Fusion materials irradicion facility demo-eraned neutron source), The installation that is under construction (Granada). Its purpose in broad strokes will be to develop a source capable of producing high energy neutrons with the intensity and volume of irradiation necessary to test candidate materials to be used in future fusion energy plants. This is one of the pending challenges, but many others have already been left behind thanks to the great work that scientists have carried out in experimental reactors, such as the already “retiree” JET (Joint European Torus), which is housed in Oxford (England). Let’s trust the reactor JT-60SA of Naka (Japan), and, above all, ITER (International Thermonuclear Experctor reactor), are up to expectations. Eurofusion and the University of Texas have made two new relevant contributions We can imagine in an intuitive way a nuclear fusion reactor as a pressure cooker in which two essential ingredients are cooked: deuterium and trity. To ensure that the nuclei of these two hydrogen isotopes merge and release the neutron that will ultimately allow us to obtain a large amount of energy it is necessary to confine them in an extremely hot plasma. In fact, so that this process takes place, a temperature of at least 150 million degrees Celsius must reach. Scientists know how to do it, so submitting the deuterium and tritium nuclei at the pressure and temperature to get me to merge is no longer a problem. What still represents a challenge is to achieve Keep turbulence under control. Otherwise, the plasma will be destabilized, its density in the critical regions will be affected and the support of the fusion reaction over time will not be possible. The mechanisms that govern this process are very complex, but little by little physicists and engineers who work in fusion energy are getting them better. The QCE (‘Quasi-Continuous exhaust’) regime is characterized by eliminating periodic instabilities that occur on the edge of plasma In broad strokes what they intend is to minimize turbulence so that the loss of plasma energy is minimal. Two of the tools that these technicians have are the artificial intelligence (AI), which is playing a very important role in understanding the mechanisms that govern plasma behavior, and Rebco superconductor magnets. In fact, The sparc fusion reactor that is building the American company Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) uses them. Precisely Eurofusionthe European organization that is responsible for promoting and supporting the scientific research necessary to bring to fruition The European Nuclear Fusion Planhas recently made an important contribution in this field. And it has shown that in the reactors Tokamaklike Jet or Iter, it is possible to use an operation mode known as Qce (Quasi-counts exhaust) that is characterized by eliminating periodic instabilities that occur at the edge of plasma, and, at the same time, it supports high density in this region of gas and preserves a very high level of energy. Gradually the confinement and stabilization of plasma are no longer a problem. The other recent contribution in which I propose that we investigate it briefly has been carried out by a team of researchers from the University of Texas and the National Laboratory of Los Alamos, both in the US. In the article they have published in Physical Review Letters These scientists propose the creation of a magnetic confinement system without leaks ten times faster, according to their calculations, than the standard method without sacrificing a precision apex. This innovation is important because it helps to resolve the containment of high energy particles within the reactor, and, therefore, to avoid the loss of temperature and density in the critical regions of plasma. Yes, as I mentioned a few lines above, much remains to be done in the field of nuclear fusion, but definitely every day we are one step closer to commercial fusion energy. Image | Fusion for Energy More information | Eurofusion | Texas University In Xataka | Iter has faced one of the great challenges of nuclear fusion: prevent plasma from 150 million ºC to destroy the reactor

The Granada particle accelerator is born today. Thanks to him Spain has the key to nuclear fusion

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Today is a crucial day for IFMIF-DONES (International Fusion materials irradicion facility demo-eraned neutron source). This very important scientific project is closely linked to ITER (International Thermonuclear Experctor reactor), The experimental reactor of nuclear fusion that An international consortium led by Europe He is building in the French town of Cadarache. Ifmif-Dones, however, resides in listening to, a town in the province of Granada. The construction works of this last installation began in mid -September 2022, but today it is a very important day for both Granada and all of Spain. And it is because the Council of Ministers will approve today the investment of almost 200 million euros required by the start of the construction of the IFMIF-DONES linear particle accelerator. This machine is the authentic heart of this scientific installation, and, therefore, the ingenuity that will place Spain in The nuclear fusion map. The tuning of this linear particle accelerator will cost approximately 450 million euros, although the Andalusian Board will contribute half of this money. However, this is the cost of the accelerator; The IFMIF-Dones project will completely cost about 700 million euros. Spain will contribute half of this capital. To this figure we must add another 50 million to carry out its implementation. In addition, the operation of this avant -garde research center will have an annual cost of about 60 million euros, of which Spain will assume 10%. It may seem a lot of money, but we must not forget that those responsible for the project are convinced that The economic and scientific return Ifmif-Dones will far exceed your cost. What is Ifmif-Dones and why it is crucial for the future of nuclear fusion Ifmif-Dones is one of the three fundamental pillars of the nuclear fusion building in whose construction the European Union is involved. The other two are iter and demo. The experimental nuclear fusion reactor that is currently being built in the French town of Cadarache seeks to demonstrate that the merger at the scale that man can handle works, and also that it is profitable from an energy point of view. However, Iter does not aspire to produce electricity. That will be demo’s task (Demonstration Power Plant), an installation that will take the technological advances that will have shown to function correctly in Iter and take them one step further to establish themselves as The authentic precursor of commercial nuclear fusion reactors. However, without Ifmif-Dones there will be no demo, so Granada is now the center of attention. The fusion of a deuterium core and another tritium triggers the production of a helium core and a neutron that is fired with an energy of about 14 MEV To understand in all its extension what is the role of the IFMIF-DONES project, it is necessary that we briefly review the foundations of nuclear fusion. One of the biggest challenges facing the technicians who are involved in the tuning of nuclear fusion reactors by means of magnetic confinement, such as Iter, consists of recreating inside the vacuum chamber of these sophisticated machines the necessary conditions so that the deuterium and tritium nuclei are merged. However, this is not everything. When this reaction takes place the fusion of a deuterium nucleus and another of tritium triggers the production of a helium core and a neutron that is fired with An energy of about 14 MEV (Megaelectronvolts). The problem is that the neutron lacks net electric charge, so it cannot be confined inside the magnetic field that, however, does retain the deuterium and tritium nuclei, which have positive electric charge. This is the reason why when it originates as a result of the nuclear fusion reaction, this neutron is fired towards the walls of the vacuum chamber with enormous energy. This particle is very important because in practice it will be closely linked to the production of electrical energy in nuclear fusion reactors, but, at the same time, it represents a very aggressive form of radiation that can significantly degrade the materials used in the reactor. The components that will be most affected by the direct impact of high energy neutrons and the most intense heat flow are the internal wall of the vacuum chamber and the Blanketthat it is a mantle that covers it and that has as its purpose Regenerate the tritium that it is necessary to use as fuel in the nuclear fusion reaction. This is the reason why it is crucial to develop new materials that are able to support the flow of neutrons and guarantee, therefore, that the reactor will have a prolonged operational life. IFMIF-DONES linear accelerator will produce high energy neutrons with the intensity and volume of irradiation necessary to test candidate materials This is, neither more nor less, the purpose of Ifmif-Dones. And to carry it out it is necessary to put ready -to -set facilities to allow the technicians involved in the project to evaluate the properties of candidate materials to intervene not only in demo, but also in future commercial nuclear fusion commercial reactors. The task of this project invites us to intuit what the heart of Ifmif-Dones is: a source capable of producing high energy neutrons with the intensity and volume of irradiation necessary for Test candidate materials. And this source of neutrons will be nothing other than a linear particle accelerator that will help IFMIF-DONES scientists to try, validate and qualify the materials that in the medium term should reach future electric power production plants through fusion. Image | IFMIF-DONES In Xataka | Iter has faced one of the great challenges of nuclear fusion: prevent plasma from 150 million ºC to destroy the reactor

A power in nuclear energy is emerging as the best alternative to Russia and China for the West: South Korea

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Russia and China are indisputably two powers in nuclear energy. So are USA, France and other western alignment countries. Although these states have a bulky nuclear plant park which really places them at the forefront is Your ability to develop new technologiesand in this area the most promising reactors are The fourth generation. Russia and China already have at least A reactor of this type in operationand the US, France, India, Canada or Japan are some of the countries that plan to have them in the future. However, there is a power in nuclear energy that often goes unnoticed. We all know that South Korea has a lot of weight in semiconductor industries, consumer electron Nuclear energy as a strategic pillar Not only within its mix of electricity generation, but also as an engine of innovation and export. South Korea is the most consistent alternative to China and Russia Currently South Korea has 26 Nuclear reactors in operation with an approximate total capacity of 25.7 GWE. This infrastructure contributes to its Mix with 30% of electricity, although the commitment of this Asian country for nuclear energy does not end here. And it is that between 2026 and 2033 the construction of four more reactors will conclude that will have a power of 1,340 MWE each of them, so the total installed power in this country within less than a decade will exceed 30 GWE. Its APR-1400 reactors incorporate passive security systems that allow them to compete from you with the machines exported by Russia, China or the USA In any case, as I have anticipated a few lines above, which has placed South Korea to the avant -garde and has positioned this country as One of the largest exporters in the nuclear sector It is your ability to develop your own technologies. Their APR-1400 reactors incorporate passive security systems that allow them to compete from you with the machines exported by Russia, China or the US. In fact, South Korea has already exported this reactor to the United Arab Emirates and is negotiating with the Czech Republic and Poland to sell their technology. On the other hand, this Asian country has also opted for fourth generation nuclear fission. Your smart reactor (System-Integrad Modular Advanced Reactor), what is An SMR type design (Compact modular reactor) is in the process of certification to be used in desalination and electricity generation facilities. It also prepares fourth generation reactors refrigerated by sodium, such as the machine outlined in the Kalimer project, although it is not yet clear when the first South Korean commercial reactor endorsed by this technology will come into operation. South Korea has a very ambitious plan: wants to capture at least Ten international contracts until 2030. His first project abroad has been Barakah’s nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, and It has been a success. As I mentioned a few lines above, Czech Republic and Poland are presumably will bet on South Korean reactors, but South Korea nuclear energy companies are also trying to take contracts in Egypt, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey and even in the United Kingdom. If only some of them get to fruition this Asian country will become a full competitor in the international market of China, Russia, France or the US. Image | Wikierati More information | Bloomberg In Xataka | Spanish nuclear have been criticized for their role in the blackout. This was what they did before, during and after collapse

This is how the new carbon-based nuclear batteries work-14

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No, you are not having a dejà vu. Nuclear batteries They were on everyone’s lipsafter the Chinese company Betavolt announced the beginning of the production of its batteries. And although it seems a new idea, the first nuclear battery was created in 1954 using Strontium-90. Since then, the search for safer batteries has continued and South Korea has given a new impulse. Short. A group of scientists from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute and Technology has developed A nuclear battery that promises to convert radiation into electricity for decades, without the characteristic dangers of conventional nuclear energy. According to Newatlasthe betavoltaic cell sensitized with dye uses beta particles to generate electricity from carbon-14. There is battery for a while. Carbon-14, with a half-life of 5730 years, will guarantee a long-term energy supply, at least in theory. However, in practice, factors such as material degradation and progressive loss of efficiency can limit the real battery life. It is just a prototype. As They have detailed In Newatlas, the battery has a relatively low power density – 20.75 nanovatos per square centimeter by milicur, with an efficiency of 2.86 % -, and the progress opens the door to applications where longevity is crucial. Instead of depending on lithium -ion batteries, very low consumption devices could use this technology and eliminate the need for frequent recharges or substitutions. More technical. The operation of this battery is based on the emission of beta particles from carbon-14, a radioactive isotope that emits high energy electrons. These electrons impact on a titanium dioxide semiconductor covered with a ruthenium -based dye, which causes the flow of electric current. Do you have real application? Scientists They have done An estimate considering sectors where longevity and low energy consumption are key. On the one hand, in the medical field, to feed implantable devices, such as pacemakers and sensors. On the other hand, in remote or difficult access for environmental monitoring stations, allowing continuous functioning for years without human intervention. Also, researchers have observed that integration in microchips, RFID labels and other miniaturized devices, as well as slow load applications, where small capacitors could accumulate energy and free it quickly in demand peaks, would be interesting. Something already existed … At the University of Bristol They have designed A carbon-14-based nuclear battery, but the approaches are different. In the British version, carbon-14 is encapsulated in synthetic diamond, offering extreme durability of up to 5,700 years and greater protection against radiation. The latter, although more expensive and complex to manufacture, is oriented to devices that require continuous operation for centuries, such as space probes or monitoring systems in extreme environments, while the Korean option could be more viable for low -cost applications and lower energy demand. Chinese technology vs Korean. Both technologies, the nuclear battery developed in South Korea and BV100 of betavolt From China, they share the principle of converting radioactive energy into electricity, but they diverge significantly in their approaches and applications. The Chinese battery uses Nickel-63, an isotope with a half-life of 100 years, in a more compact and modular design that promises to feed higher power devices, including drones and industrial equipment. In addition, while the Korean battery is still in an experimental phase, Betavolt has advanced towards marketing. Forecasts. While there is still a way to go to perfect its efficiency and reduce costs, the perspective of batteries that can last decades without recharges completely redefine the way we conceive energy storage and open new possibilities. Image | ACS Xataka | China has the definitive battery. A “eternal” photovoltaic nuclear battery that works in space and in the sea

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