Скачать или смотреть What rainbows can tell us

Did you know that every gas has its own special rainbow? Shannon Swilley Greco, senior program associate for public engagement and workforce development at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), shows how you can bend and separate light emitted from plasma to identify gases.

These special rainbows are known as spectral lines. When observed and analyzed, these lines can share critical information for scientists. In astronomy, scientists can use spectral lines to understand the composition, temperature, speed and other characteristics of distant stars. At PPPL, scientists can use diagnostics (or measuring tools) to examine the spectral lines of light emitted from plasma within a fusion system like the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade to determine temperature, density, and whether fusion is happening.

Plasma is the electrically charged fourth state of matter. When a neutral gas is heated such that some of the electrons are freed from the atoms or molecules, it changes state and becomes a plasma. Fusion is the power that drives the sun and stars. Fusion occurs when the nuclei of light atoms like hydrogen fuse together and create a new nucleus, releasing energy.

🎬 Video credits: Filmed, edited and produced by Michael Livingston in collaboration with Shannon Swilley Greco

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