From all-round academic master to chief scientist

In the quiet reception room, the atmosphere seemed to have calmed down a bit.

Everyone present looked at each other.

In any case, the question Lin Xiao asked was like pouring cold water on them, just like when they usually apply for funds, the reviewers question whether their projects are meaningful.

Of course, when faced with the reviewers, researchers like them could still come up with an argumentative paper of more than 100 pages to excuse themselves. However, facing Lin Xiao, those present did not feel that they could still excuse themselves.

So they felt a little annoyed. It was not good to ask other questions. Why did they ask this question?

How do they answer this?

Fortunately, the reception room is now filled with high-level officials from the Institute of Plasma Research. Otherwise, news would have spread: Academician Lin is pessimistic about controllable nuclear fusion.

Then they may have to cut funding.

Li Gang was also slightly stunned, not expecting Lin Xiao to ask such a question directly, but then he smiled, and when others thought he would deny it, he nodded.

"Academician Lin is indeed Academician Lin. He hit the nail on the head."

Song Tao next to him probably didn't expect Li Gang to admit it so simply, so he couldn't help but said: "Academician Li..."

But Li Gang just stretched out his hand and stopped Song Tao from continuing.

"Director Song, I invited Academician Lin here to solve the problem. If we don't even tell Academician Lin our problem, how can we solve the problem? And Academician Lin is also the director himself, so I believe he understands us. We won’t tell anyone and it will affect our funds.”

Hearing what Li Gang said, Song Tao had no choice but to nod and say no more.

Lin Xiao smiled and nodded, showing his appreciation. This is how academia is. Funding is basically controlled by people who are not engaged in academia. In order to apply for funds, researchers in academia also make every effort to obtain funds. From a certain perspective, it can be regarded as restricting the normal development of the academic world. However, Li Gang has obviously put the funding issue behind him and wants to speak openly with him.

But...

Although he is the director of a research institute, he really doesn't know what it feels like to be short of funds.

In other words, um...he still doesn't understand something.

Of course, there is no need to say this sentence, so as not to hurt the harmony.

So he smiled and said, "Well, Academician Li, can you say it now?"

Li Gang nodded, then sighed again, and said: "It is indeed the same question you asked, Academician Lin. Sometimes I also think like this, can we really succeed? The materials we can currently develop, whether it is tungsten Alloys, whether tantalum alloys, will eventually become pitted when faced with the terrifying temperatures of nuclear fusion."

"I have even heard people say many times that we always emphasize the difficulty of controlling plasma flow, and say that the problem of neutrons is not the most important problem. In fact, it is just because the former is a problem that can be controlled theoretically, but the latter This is a problem that theoretically we cannot solve at all.”

"In other words, our previous achievements were basically just to deceive... well, to put it mildly, they were just to ensure that we could apply for funds."

"After all, we have so many people to support in our plasma institute, so we just keep going."

"However, I have been thinking about what kind of method is needed to solve this material problem. Unfortunately, I haven't figured it out yet. This material problem has always been a big problem. "

Li Gang sighed, with a look of helplessness on his face.

Now their research is basically focused on how to control the plasma flow. As for the issue of neutron irradiation, no one dares to do so now. To touch it means to face neutrons, which are not controlled at all.

So everyone dislikes centrists, even for them scientific researchers. Neutrons are the centrists that they all hate so much. They are neither positive nor negative, and there is no way to control them. On the contrary, they keep giving They cause trouble.

Lin Xiao nodded, "Well, that's true."

"I did a simple calculation a few days ago. If neutrons at 150 million K bombard chemical bonds, even the strongest chemical bonds at present would be difficult to withstand such bombardment, let alone transmutation."

"Materials must face radiation damage of at least 100dpa. If they cannot withstand this level of radiation damage, we basically don't have to think about achieving nuclear fusion."

"So, I have now come to the conclusion that our ordinary materials, which are connected by the electromagnetic interaction between atoms, must not be able to achieve controllable nuclear fusion. Therefore, we must change the way we design materials."

Lin Xiao's decisive words directly made everyone present feel dizzy.

Lin Xiao's previous question only rejected ordinary materials. As for what non-ordinary materials refer to, it covers a wide range.

However, Lin Xiao now directly denied the materials formed based on electromagnetic interaction force, which suddenly made them all feel at a loss.

Although they had anticipated this possibility during the research process, they could not just stop researching. They still had to research what should be researched. Maybe one day they would find such material. ?

However, Lin Xiao's words now have undoubtedly torn away this fig leaf, forcing them to face the facts at this moment.

Li Gang looked at Lin Xiao, and after a moment of silence, he asked: "Then...Academician Lin, do you have any ideas?"

Lin Xiao said: "The electromagnetic interaction force cannot resist neutrons, a force that represents the strong interaction force. So, why don't we try to use materials with strong interaction force?"

"Strong interaction material?"

Everyone was stunned.

Li Gang couldn't help but laugh and said: "Academician Lin, you don't want to talk about that science fiction novel, right?"

"Although the strong interaction material is indeed a material that may be realized in the distant future, it may be more difficult to realize than our controllable nuclear fusion, right?"

Lin Xiao nodded and said with a smile: "That's true, it may be more difficult."

"But what if it is achieved from other aspects?"

"In other ways?"

Li Gang and the people around him couldn't help but become confused.

Does the man who invented room-temperature superconductors have any more fantastic ideas now?

However, Lin Xiao did not answer directly. Instead, he raised his head, looked around, and finally asked: "Excuse me, do you have scratch paper and pen?"

Song Tao, who was next to him, immediately said: "There are some, there is an office next door, just go and get them."

Then he signaled to the person next to him, who quickly left the reception room, went to the next door to get scratch paper and pen, and placed them in front of Lin Xiao.

Then, everyone turned their attention to Lin Xiao, wanting to see what this big boss wanted to show them.

After Lin Xiao took the pen, he started writing.

During the Chinese New Year, he was not idle all the time, but also devoted part of his time to how to solve this problem. He already had some preliminary ideas. Although he didn't know whether they were correct or not, at least he also guided a vague idea. Direction, and direction, is obviously the most important.

So soon, everyone saw Lin Xiao first draw a picture on the draft paper.

Looking at this picture, Li Gang frowned: "This is...the nucleus-electrons outside the nucleus-the nucleus diagram. Academician Lin, what do you want to express?"

Lin Xiao didn't speak, but just wrote a mathematical formula next to the picture.

Looking at these mathematical formulas, the people present became even more confused.

"Is this the relationship between the electromagnetic interaction force and the weak interaction force?"

"This seems to be...a statement of the mass gap problem of the Yang-Mills equation?"

"And this is...the strong interaction force and the electromagnetic interaction force...ah? Is this an attempt to unify the strong force and electromagnetic force?"

Everyone was shocked.

Lin Xiao now actually wants to unify the electromagnetic interaction force and the strong interaction force?

Grand unified theory?

So far, humans have only unified the weak interaction force and the electromagnetic interaction force, but are still somewhat helpless with the strong interaction force, not to mention the ethereal gravity.

In the end, Lin Xiao wanted to challenge the problem in this direction?

After writing this, Lin Xiao finally put down the pen in his hand.

He clapped his hands and said: "That's about it. Now, I have a feeling that as long as the electromagnetic interaction force and the strong interaction force are unified, we can use the electromagnetic interaction force as a relay to realize the strong interaction force. Take advantage of it.”

After hearing Lin Xiao's words, everyone present was stunned.

Unify the electromagnetic interaction force and the strong interaction force, and then solve the material problems they are facing now?

This is really...

An extremely crazy move!

But looking at Lin Xiao's expression that was not worried about the difficulties at all, and on the contrary looked relaxed, they finally realized that the young man in front of them seemed to have created quite a few miracles?