Can mayonnaise hold the key to unlocking nuclear fusion? Scientists think so...

Researchers at Lehigh University have been delving into one of the most complex scientific challenges of our time—harnessing nuclear fusion, the process that powers the sun, to generate a nearly limitless and clean energy source on Earth.

However, the path to replicating the sun’s extreme conditions on our planet is filled with unprecedented obstacles. One particularly innovative approach involves using an unexpected and seemingly unrelated substance: mayonnaise.

This creamy condiment is helping scientists to better understand and potentially overcome some of the critical challenges in nuclear fusion research.

What role does mayonnaise play in fusion research?

In their pursuit of unlocking the secrets of nuclear fusion, the research team led by Arindam Banerjee, the Paul B. Reinhold Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics at Lehigh University, has turned to Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise as a key experimental material, reported Phys.org.

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The research, which began in 2019, continues to explore the intricate physics of nuclear fusion using this everyday kitchen item.

Banerjee explains, “We use mayonnaise because it behaves like a solid, but when subjected to a pressure gradient, it starts to flow.” This characteristic makes mayonnaise an ideal analog for studying the behaviour of plasma—the charged state of matter created when fusion fuel, typically isotopes of hydrogen, is heated and compressed to extreme temperatures and pressures.

Mayonnaise: A path to harnessing the power of the sun?

At the heart of this research is a process known as inertial confinement fusion (ICF), which involves rapidly compressing and heating small capsules filled with hydrogen isotopes. When successful, this process mimics the conditions found at the core of the sun, where nuclear fusion occurs naturally.

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However, replicating these conditions on Earth requires subjecting the fusion capsules to millions of degrees Kelvin and gigapascals of pressure. “At those extremes, you’re talking about millions of degrees Kelvin and gigapascals of pressure as you’re trying to simulate conditions in the sun,” Banerjee notes.

One of the major obstacles to achieving efficient fusion energy is the formation of hydrodynamic instabilities, particularly the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, which occurs when two fluids of different densities interact under opposing pressure gradients.

In their initial studies, Banerjee and his team used mayonnaise to investigate these instabilities. The mayonnaise, which behaves like a solid under normal conditions, begins to flow when subjected to pressure, similar to how plasma behaves in fusion experiments.

This flow leads to the formation of instabilities that can reduce the energy yield from fusion reactions – a critical issue that must be resolved to make fusion a viable energy source.

Exploring the phases of instability with mayonnaise

Banerjee’s research has revealed key insights into the behaviour of materials under the extreme conditions required for nuclear fusion. One significant finding is the identification of various phases that occur as mayonnaise transitions from a solid-like state to a flowing state under pressure.

“As with a traditional molten metal, if you put a stress on mayonnaise, it will start to deform, but if you remove the stress, it goes back to its original shape,” Banerjee explains. “So there’s an elastic phase followed by a stable plastic phase. The next phase is when it starts flowing, and that’s where the instability kicks in.”

Understanding this transition between the elastic and stable plastic phases is crucial, as it could help researchers predict and control the onset of instabilities in actual fusion capsules. The ability to delay or suppress these instabilities could significantly enhance the efficiency of fusion reactions.

In their latest research, published in Physical Review E, Banerjee and his team, including former graduate student Aren Boyaci, who is now working at Rattunde AG as a Data Modeling Engineer in Berlin, focused on the material properties, perturbation geometry, and acceleration rates that influence Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

“We investigated the transition criteria between the phases of Rayleigh-Taylor instability and examined how that affected the perturbation growth in the following phases,” Boyaci says. “We found the conditions under which the elastic recovery was possible, and how it could be maximised to delay or completely suppress the instability. The experimental data we present are also the first recovery measurements in the literature.”

The bigger picture…

The implications of this research extend far beyond the laboratory. By non-dimensionalising their data, Banerjee and his team hope to apply their findings to real fusion capsules, which operate under conditions that are orders of magnitude more extreme than those in their mayonnaise experiments.

“In this paper, we have non-dimensionalised our data with the hope that the behaviour we are predicting transcends these few orders of magnitude,” Banerjee says. “We’re trying to enhance the predictability of what would happen with those molten, high-temperature, high-pressure plasma capsules with these analog experiments of using mayonnaise in a rotating wheel.”

Ultimately, this research represents a small but significant step in the global effort to make fusion energy a reality. As Banerjee puts it, “We’re another cog in this giant wheel of researchers, and we’re all working towards making inertial fusion cheaper and therefore, attainable.”

The use of mayonnaise in nuclear fusion research might seem unconventional, but it underlines the creativity and innovation necessary to tackle one of the most challenging scientific problems of our time. Even the most unexpected tools, like a jar of mayonnaise, might play a role in unlocking the secrets of the universe.

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