Scientists have demonstrated that a powerful burst of X-rays from a nuclear explosion could potentially deflect an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. The experiment, conducted at Sandia National Laboratory using the world’s most powerful laboratory radiation source, showed that a coordinated nuclear strike near an asteroid’s surface could generate enough force to redirect it and avoid a catastrophic impact. The key to this deflection lies in the intense X-rays produced by the explosion.
Lead author Nathan Moore, a physicist at Sandia National Laboratories, emphasized the importance of being prepared for potential asteroid threats. “To most people, the danger from asteroids seems remote,” Moore said. “But our planet is hit by BB-sized asteroids every day.
We call them shooting stars. We don’t want to wait for a large asteroid to show up and then scramble for the right method to deflect it.”
In the experiment, researchers used Sandia’s Z machine to generate magnetic fields that compressed argon gas into a plasma as hot as the sun’s surface. This process instantly vaporized ultra-thin foil, producing a burst of X-rays that interacted with a small piece of asteroid-like silica.
The results demonstrated how the force could redirect an asteroid without breaking it into hazardous fragments.
Nuclear X-rays could deflect asteroids
Moore explained, “It was a novel idea.
A mock asteroid is suspended in space. For a brief moment, we can ignore Earth’s gravity as the Z machine produces a burst of X-rays that sweeps over the mock-asteroid surface. The trick is to use just enough force to redirect the flying rock without splitting it into several equally deadly subsections advancing toward Earth.”
The researchers plan to create a database of potential impact and deflection scenarios based on their experimental setup.
This library of hypothetical asteroids could be consulted if a real collision threat emerges. Space agencies worldwide are developing methods to deflect asteroids with longer warning times. NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission successfully redirected the non-hazardous asteroid Dimorphos in 2022 by ramming it off course.
China is also planning an asteroid-redirect mission, aiming to divert the asteroid Bennu by slamming it with 23 Long March 5 rockets to prevent a potentially catastrophic impact with Earth. As the study’s findings suggest, understanding how different asteroid materials react to X-ray pulses will be crucial in preparing for a planetary defense mission, should the need arise. The ability to deflect miniature asteroids in a laboratory using the Z Machine offers a unique opportunity to investigate the deflection response of various asteroid compositions.
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