On the day of the experiment, there was a thick black cloud over the high town of Princeton, as if a heavy rain was brewing.

Stepping on the pppl lab, walking in the corridor of the boat, suddenly felt that this road is somewhat strange.

It’s as if I’m not in the lab, but on the way to the hospital’s delivery room...

After thinking about it carefully, Lu Zhou felt that there was nothing wrong with it.

For this project, or just for such an illusory possibility, the engineers and researchers of the entire "he-3" project team have struggled countless days and nights.

Including himself, I don't know how much energy I put into this project.

It is no exaggeration to say that the "he-3 atom probe" technology is his child.

Along the corridor came to the door of the control room, and Lu Zhou pushed the door to the room.

The layout of the room was messy, the wires were tangled in confusion, and they were tied together with several plastic ropes, especially the computer used to control the electromagnetic field of the atomic gun. The main board and wires were exposed.

After all, it is a piece of work that is pieced together.

The engineers here can only ensure that there are no faults and that there is no guarantee that the people who come here will be applauded.

Looking around at the people in the control room, Lu Zhou soon saw Professor Lazelson.

However, in addition to Professor Razerson, he stood next to a strange man.

I noticed the Lu Zhou coming to this side, the man extended his right hand with a blank expression.

"Hello, Mr. Lu Zhou."

He also discovered Lu Zhou, Professor Lazelson introduced his own boss to him with great enthusiasm.

"This is the director of the pppl lab, Professor Terry Brogg."

Suddenly watching this man, Lu Zhou shook his hand and shook.

"Hello there."

About this Terry Brog, Lu Zhou has heard of it.

Probably last year, the former director of pppl, Professor Stewart Prager, caused a loss of $438 million to the US Department of Energy because of the failure of the nstx-u device, and he voluntarily resigned and did not do it. Terry Brogg was "in danger". Responsible for the pppl laboratory director, and the head of the fusion energy science (fes), set off the banner of future energy.

After taking over, the first thing he did was to clean up the mess thrown by his predecessor and strengthen the management of research funding.

Those projects that seem impractical have been cut down decisively. If the "he-3" project team does not show enough potential, the knife may fall on them...

Thinking of this, Lu Zhou suddenly guessed that this guy came from why.

Looking at Lu Zhou, Professor Brogg cleared his throat and said with a blank expression.

“First of all, congratulations on your success.”

Lu Zhou: "Thank you."

"Don't rush to thank me, I didn't help, and what I'm going to say next is not a good thing," paused for a moment, Professor Brogg continued without expression, "If this experiment still fails If I want to be able to suspend the project, pppl's researchers are not your private employees, and we can't waste time on projects without potential."

Lu Zhou's eyebrows slightly wrinkled: "Even if I am willing to bear the funds?"

Staring at Lu Zhou, Professor Brogg said unmoved: "Yes."

Seeing the atmosphere between the two is a bit wrong.

Professor Lazerson, who noticed this, coughed up and quickly came up to play the round field and pulled the boat to the side.

Looking at Professor Razerson, Lu Zhou frowned and asked: "What does he mean?"

“Maybe...” Professor Lazelson hesitated, saying in an uncertain tone, “He is eyeing the $4 million in the research account...”

Although I don't want to speculate on my boss, it is obviously like this.

“Four million?” Lu Zhou squatted slightly, but the focus was somewhat different from that of Professor Lazerson. “How can I still have four million left?”

Upon hearing this sentence, Professor Lazerson almost didn't get a sigh of relief.

There are still four million left?

How can you listen to your tone and be a little dissatisfied?

"Ten 10 million is the price I quoted. In fact, Brookhaven National Laboratory has a good relationship with us. The old equipment that has been eliminated can not find a more suitable buyer besides us. We spent more than $7 million on the money on the account..."

Having said that, Professor Lazerson’s eyes are somewhat dodging. “The problem is not here, but the remaining funds in our research account. You know, although our days seem to be very comfortable, but the controllable core Fusion, the technology of investing in the future, is hard to see the prospect of commercialization in the short term, and the budget committee of Congress has been looking for trouble..."

"What does this have to do with me?" Lu Zhou said.

Professor Lazelson said in a serious way: "Of course, if you cut down on our project, this money can be moved to more potential projects."

Lu Zhou squatted slightly, and couldn't help but lie in his heart.

"Can it still be like this?"

"Whoever thinks that you are going to play money so fast," Professor Lazson sneaked and looked at the side, coughing. "If we signed an agreement at the time, clarifying the purpose of the donation, the situation might be We are more beneficial... but now it doesn't make sense to say that, as long as we succeed."

This funding is naturally untouchable in the research account of the “he-3” project team, but it is only necessary to cut down the project team itself. Although this is not moral, it is also part of procedural justice.

But as Professor Lazelson said, it doesn't make sense to discuss this now.

If their project has not produced results, even if there is no balance of the four million dollars in research funding, Professor Brogg will find a way to cut the project.

After all, pppl Labs has a lot of potential projects in progress, and it is impossible to waste research resources on a project with no potential, even if it does not have to bear the funding for this project.

As the person in charge here, he must consider the issue from a global perspective.

So, for the "he-3" project team, they need a victory to prove themselves!

......

With the arrival of Lu Zhou, after a brief meeting, Professor Lazelson announced the official start of the experiment.

Working in their respective positions, everyone held their breath.

I was afraid of disturbing the plasma in the vacuum chamber and the 氦3 particles that were about to be launched.

When everything was ready, Professor Lazerson did not speak, but cast a sight on Lu Zhou.

Lu Zhou also did not speak, just silently erected his thumb.

Understood what he meant, Professor Lazelson took a deep breath and reached out and pressed the button.

All the work has been done.

leftover……

There is only prayer left.

The wire is gradually soaked through the liquid helium of the gate, and the conductor in the ultra-low temperature environment gradually approaches the critical temperature of the superconducting.

At the instant when the track temperature reaches the superconducting critical temperature, the current through the superconducting coil begins to rise sharply, which is the initial velocity of the 氦3 atomic hovering in the orbit.

At the moment when the No. 1 signal lights up, the speed of the 氦3 atom is raised to the limit, and at the same time, the "Atom Gun" completes its filling.

Everything is like a bullet, it is crisp and neat.

Professor Lazelson cast a sight on Lu Zhou.

In the silent communication, Lu Zhou nodded.

This time, it is up to him.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Zhou went to the computer and pressed the second button, which is also the last button.

Just like the trigger was pulled, the 氦3 atom moving outside the track suddenly broke away from the acceleration orbit and moved to the launching track tangent to the acceleration track.

There is no sound.

Nothing can be seen.

However, at the moment when the atomic gun fired 氦3, the 氦3 atom that was accelerated to the limit was like a bullet that carried a huge amount of energy and slammed into a hot plasma.

The electromagnetic wave signal collected on the detector has a layer of jitter.

Everything happens only in a flash, but it is as long as a century.

At this moment, whether it was Lu Zhou, Professor Lazelson and other researchers in the laboratory, or Professor Broger of the pppl laboratory director, the breath stayed for half a second without exception.

It is also at the same instant that the 氦3 nucleus that penetrates the plasma slams into the target material silently...

The faint fluctuations were quickly captured by the probe behind the target material, and the impact data was fed back to the lab computer screen.

Time seems to have solidified in this second.

In the next second, a burst of cheers broke out in the lab.

Professor Lazelson threw his hat into the sky and cheered with his fists excited by his age.

"We have succeeded! We have succeeded!"