Splitting the Atom (Overview)

Welcome everybody! In this post, I have SO much information, but don't want to make the post too long, so, I have divided this post into parts, so you can keep track if you need to come back later and read. In this post, I am going to give you an overview, so your are equipped for the next time.

Passage One

I... I feel a bit queasy. Wait, did I just split my OWN atoms?! Lemme check. Okay, I'm good. anyways, as the title says, today I am going to split the atom. I literally have no idea what I am, doing, but I'm clever student, I think I have this.

Where do I start? Okay, lets get to google first. "To split an atom a neutron, travelling at just the right speed, is shot at the nucleus. Under the right conditions the nucleus splits into two pieces and energy is released. This process is called nuclear fission. The energy released in splitting just one atom is miniscule." (Quoted by Dr. Naomi Lavelle (Link in at the end))

In Abbie terms, When you take an atom, traveling at the right speed, a laser is shot at the nucleus. When the neutron is hit just right, the nucleus splits into two pieces, and energy is released. This is called nuclear fusion, (Hint, this is what gives stars their energy.)

Okay, so this is what, but, lets see what's there.

Passage Two

To split an atom, it depends on its size. The smaller the atom, the more energy you need to split it. In this passage, I am going to focus on what scientists use to split the atoms

".. Now two independent research teams have used these lasers to split the uranium atom." Okay, but what's the ur- No Abigail. Getting of topic. Anyways, the lasers have become extremely powerful, and in quotes "The most powerful lasers have now reached petawatt (1015 watts) peak powers, allowing them to accelerate electrons to relativistic speeds"

Oh. My. Gosh. It's said that this type of matter that we are splitting can be found in blackholes, pulsars, and quasars. So, how do the lasers work?

After a lot of research, (and coffee- (wait - I don't drink coffee. Let's try that again) and water, I have discovered that the lasers work by heating the nucleus of the atom (Higher than the heat of the sun!!) to produce helium, making the atom split in two, and you know what else...

But what amazes me EVEN more, is that when an atom is successfully split, it can create a chain reaction, creating high amounts of energy.

End: Thank you SO much for reading, this was REALLY just an overview again, and I probably repeated some things over and over again, but this is a complex topic, and I tried to make it easier for you (and me) to understand, so wait for next time to get EVEN more!

STAY BEYOND THE LIMIT!!!

Links: nature.com/articles/35005202#:~:text=The%20most%20powerful%20lasers%20have,the%20uranium%20atom3%2C4.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30901957.html#:~:text=To%20split%20an%20atom%20a,just%20one%20atom%20is%20miniscule.

And A LOT of music...