Spark

After a report, Chen Nian has become acquainted with men.

He knew that this person was named Sebastian, and he worked in the Max Planck Laboratory in Germany, and he was engaged in the direction of stellarator.

And what he is doing is the famous W7-X project.

In the previous life, around 15 years ago, this stellarator was able to generate a very precise magnetic field, making a major breakthrough in the field of plasma control.

In some indicators, it has surpassed the tokamak device. If it were not for the inherent defects of stellarators, this device might even leap from marginal status to mainstream.

Obviously, Sebastian played an important role in it.

In fact, he is not an unknown person, but a technical powerhouse with great potential.

——

Having said that, who can sit here, who doesn't have some unique skills?

Probably only Chen Nian, who has no papers and no influence, looks like he is here to make soy sauce.

However, even after finding out about Chen Nian's background, Sebastian didn't seem too disappointed. After all, he was not talking to Chen Nian for the so-called academic social interaction, but purely to pass the boring time. Reporting time only.

After the final questioning session was over, Sebastian warmly invited Chen Nian to have a cup of coffee. After hesitating for a moment, Chen Nian still agreed.

It's not that I want to recruit Sesbastian, but I just want to get in touch with some cutting-edge research information and see if I can get some inspiration from their thoughts.

So, the two walked out of the venue together and sat down in the coffee shop next to them.

Chen Nian presumptuously ordered a cup of ice cream, while Sebastian ordered black coffee meticulously.

Sure enough, young people like sweets - when I was your age, I drank Coke and ate candy every day.

But now that I'm old, my body can't bear the burden of such a high sugar content.

You have to be careful, though—diabetes sucks.

Sebastian said slightly jokingly.

In his cognition, Chen Nian is a young man who has just finished his Ph.D. and came to meet with his tutor --- this kind of operation is not uncommon in the academic circle, and he did it a lot when he was young.

From Chen Nian, he also found some memories of his youth.

Hearing his words, Chen Nian replied with a smile:

I usually eat very little, but since it's already out, why not let it go.

Indeed—after all, for children of your age, participating in such a meeting is more like a trip, right?

I still remember that when I went to Los Angeles with my mentor for a meeting, I was not interested in the report at all. My mind was full of strip clubs at night, and shopping malls, casinos and beaches on weekends.

Thinking about it now, it's really wasted time. However, the wasted time is the best time, isn't it?

Indeed.

Chen Nianshen nodded in agreement.

In fact, even if he has lived a new life, what he misses most is the carefree college time in his previous life.

Empty, empty, but precious time.

As if seeing the fascination in Chen Nian's eyes, Sebastian couldn't help laughing.

But it's obviously not the time for you to miss the past, you still have to work hard!

I heard from you just now that you are engaged in research in the direction of tokamak? Why did you choose this direction?

He was very careful not to discuss technical aspects, the reason is very simple, this is in China.

Although nuclear fusion is a subject shared by mankind and a result shared by mankind, it is impossible to completely eliminate the technical barriers between countries.

The closer it is to its birth, the stronger the barriers will become, until a certain country completes the breakthrough first and finally forms a monopoly.

Therefore, the secrecy measures exist in fact, and he doesn't want to cause trouble for himself.

Tokamak is currently the most mainstream research direction, isn't it?

Chen Nian replied with a relaxed expression.

Yes, but not necessarily the most promising.

In my opinion, the stellarator, a natural magnetic confinement device that can operate continuously for a long time, is the most likely to become the basis of future nuclear fusion technology.

There was a bit of piety in Sebastian's eyes. Obviously, he was extremely confident in the direction he chose, and it could even be said to be fanatical.

And the birth of most new technologies is precisely because of the efforts of these enthusiasts.

Chen Nian respected this, but he did not doubt his choice.

——

Nonsense, the tokamak device is the most favorable solution selected by the system, which is equivalent to some kind of prior history.

No matter how promising the prospect of stellarator is after the birth of room-temperature superconducting materials, after all, its natural high engineering difficulty will also bring various problems.

Before the two types of technologies are mature, it is still unknown who is superior and who is inferior.

However, Chen Nian did not intend to argue with him on the academic direction, so he said:

Yes, judging from the current situation, the stellarator device is likely to usher in a long spring.

However, we still chose the tokamak device. Obviously, those scientific researchers and decision makers have their own considerations.

Yes, I think they should have considered the parts that pure technicians like us can't consider.

Sebastian agreed kindly.

But this answer surprised Chen Nian.

I have seen too many white people who are either self-important or arrogant, and the performance of the other party is simply too much.

This brother wouldn't know his identity and came to get close to him on purpose, right? ——

Fortunately, Chen Nian's worry only flashed for a second, and Sebastian continued:

Actually, the EAST project also invited me. From the project description they wrote, I can see that they are very confident in their technology, but at the same time they are ready to give up the pursuit of perfection.

This is a project built by a group of extreme utilitarians, and it is impossible for them not to consider the overall situation.

I see.

Before that, Chen Nian already knew that the EAST project was recruiting talents from all over the world, but he did not expect that a tokamak device would send an invitation letter to a research institute that manufactures stellarators.

Utilitarianism. It doesn't sound like a great word, but it sounds like a compliment when you say it.

Chen Nian said.

It is indeed a compliment. In the past few years, the heights that China has reached are obvious to all people in the world.

In 2001, when the EAST project had just completed a small-scale renovation, I was invited to visit it.

At that time, Huaxia was not what it is now—of course, there were many new things, but those new things were very simple.

Ugly buildings, ugly cars, ugly roads.

Frankly, I look down on you guys.

I think that human beings don't necessarily have to pursue perfection, but at least they should do as well as possible.

But at that time, you seemed to have only one creed: enough is enough.

This kind of philosophy... in Europe, maybe only medieval peasants believed in it.

Having said that, Sebastian paused, and then said with self-mockery:

But now, we all know what happened.

I have thought about it many times, and only recently have I realized that it is not the Chinese people who choose this creed, but the era in which China lives.

You were born in the quagmire, so it is impossible to pursue cleanliness.

Bite the muddy reed with your teeth, step on the toad buried in the mud with your feet, use your body to walk through the rotten and smelly swamp, and swallow the sewage that choked into your mouth. Only in this way can you climb out of the mire and go to the Pursue the so-called 'decency' of those who are already outside the quagmire.

Luckily, you did.

At this point, my respect is sincere.

Chen Nian was also touched by Sebastian's words, but at the same time he was also very puzzled, where did this brother's feelings come from?

It sounds as if he has really seen the story of a country that did not struggle out of the quagmire and finally drowned in the mud.

White man's country. Any experience with this?

He asked his question curiously, and Sebastian's answer surprised him.

Of course I haven't seen it—you know, there was such a country in history, but it chose to kill its neighbor and use the neighbor's corpse as a foothold.

My grandfather once participated in this event is a disgrace to our family, so I can feel your strength even more.

I understand.

Chen Nian didn't ask any more questions, but in his heart, he secretly gave the man opposite him a score above the passing mark.

At least he knew the shame.

But unfortunately, it is probably impossible for him to enter the EAST project.

After all, according to his understanding, this thing also needs to be reviewed, and family background can sometimes become an obstacle.

The two chatted until lunch time. No matter how cautious they were, the topic inevitably involved certain technical details.

Sebastian was greatly surprised by Chen Nian's professionalism and familiarity with cutting-edge fields.

Unbelievable. Are you really just a PhD student?

I can see that you don't know much about some technical details, especially when it comes to relatively complex theory.

However, your control of the overall situation and your macroscopic understanding have reached a considerable height.

How did this happen? Has Huaxia's higher education advanced to this level?

Chen Nian smiled, but didn't answer right away.

How did you get your knowledge and information?

That is the technical crystallization of dozens of hundreds of top scholars!

If at this level, you still act like a noob, then you really have to look at your brain.

Probably some kind of talent.

he replied casually.

Sebastian, on the other hand, took a deep look at him and nodded silently.

During lunch time, the teams of each country had their own arrangements, so Sebastian didn't invite Chen Nian to join him.

When he returned to the group, everyone was a little curious about his whereabouts.

To these questions, he simply answered in unison:

I met a very interesting kid and had a cup of coffee with him.

Interesting kid? Coming to the meeting?

Someone on the side asked curiously.

Yes, very young, but very smart.

But it's a pity that he is doing the direction of the tokamak, otherwise, I would like to absorb him into my own team.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sebastian suddenly reacted:

Although I can be regarded as an elite in the field, compared with China's current scientific research strength and resource investment, the Max-Planck Laboratory is still not enough.

Why do people give up their bright future and come to work with you instead?

The flow of talent has already changed.

Sure enough, everyone around him laughed, and some ridiculed his unrealistic ideas.

However, Sebastian didn't take it seriously, he just finished his lunch silently, and kept thinking about the few questions he mentioned in his previous exchange with Chen Nian.

On the one hand, the biggest advantage of stellarators, that is, the stability of the magnetic field, has been declining due to the emergence of room temperature superconducting materials.

On the one hand, Huaxia invested a huge amount of resources, intending to give it a go on the tokamak, and gave all scholars in the same field a common opportunity.

What they need most at present are talents in the field of plasma confinement.

Should I consider changing directions?

After all, whether your own research topic is placed on the stellarator or on the tokamak, the utility will not be much different.

This is really a difficult question.

However, just after lunch, something happened that caught him off guard.

Eichendorff, an old opponent who also studied the theory of asymmetry breaking, found him and asked the same question as him.

And, judging from Eichendorf's performance, it seems that he really intends to join the EAST project.

.I think you should make it clear that the EAST project has a lot of restrictions on cooperative scholars, and if you want to participate in the core field, you need to go through multiple reviews.

It is very likely that in the end, you will also exist as a marginal researcher and witness.

Is it really worth it? I mean, stellarator progress is slow, and the cake is small, but it's going to go to each of us

Hearing his words, Eichendorf shook his head.

He did not answer directly, but asked rhetorically:

How old are you, old man?

.55 years old.

Will you survive until the stellarator is born?

These words directly stunned Sebastian in place.

Yes, can I live to that time?

Which scientific research practitioner can resist the temptation to witness and participate in the evolution of human beings with his own eyes?

Perhaps, I should be selfish for once?

After a long silence, Sebastian finally replied:

I'll think about it carefully.

What about you? Have you made up your mind yet?

Yes.

Eichendorf nodded solemnly, and then said:

I hope to see you there.

I heard that there are countless delicious seafood on the Science Island where EAST is located. I think we should try it.

Eichendorff is not the only academic to make this choice.

And that's just the first day of the Fusion Conference.

Obviously, the direction of the wind has completely changed. From this change, Chen Nian can vaguely see the shadow of a long gone era.