Tsunami's Magnetic Fields, Hydrogen Scramjet and a light based Supercomputer
January 20
This week we will look at how the magnetic field generated by a Tsunami can be used to predict the arrival time and height of the waves. We also examine a new Hydrogen Powered Hypersonic Scramjet that will deliver satellites to Low Earth Orbit and we discover the shape of the Heliosphere, the area of space influenced by our sun’s magnetic field. Finally we investigate a new supercomputer that uses light rather than electricity to process information.
Tsunami’s Magnetic Fields
Researchers from Kyoto University have discovered that the magnetic field generated by a Tsunami, can be detected a few minutes earlier than changes in sea level. This may improve early warnings of these destructive waves.
The study used the data from two real world events, a 2009 tsunami in Samoa and a 2010 tsunami in Chile to develop this discovery. The researchers confirmed that the magnetic field arrived ahead of a sea level change and that the magnitude can be used to estimate the tsunami’s wave height.
How much earlier the magnetic field arrives depends upon water depth. The authors found that the early arrival time for a 4,800 meter deep sea was about 1 minute. Even 1 minute when combined with rapid warning systems would save many lives.
The relationship between magnetic fields and wave heights can be used to improve tsunami source models that use the initial ocean topography and then predict wave height and arrival time. Predictions which are important for disaster readiness and response.
There are currently very limited observational stations to source data and the findings only apply to deep sea environments. Coastal environments have too much environmental noise to detect the magnetic signals. This is however, still an important step forward in improving warning systems.
Hydrogen powered Hypersonic Scramjet
Brisbane based startup Hypersonix has developed a new satellite launch system that will make launching satellites easy, sustainable and far cheaper than today’s launch systems. Founded in 2019, the team of 20 engineers created a 3 stage launch system called Wirraway.
The unmanned system’s 3 parts are The Boomerang, a launch booster, The Delta-Velos, an Orbiter and a Payload Orbit Booster. The system can take off from any airport. The first stage of flight reaches Mach 5 (6,000 kph) before the Boomerang separates and flies itself back to earth. The Delta-Velos Orbiter then accelerates to Mach 12 (14,300 kph) before releasing the payload which is then boosted to Mach 25 (30,000 kph) and released into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) or Sun Stationary Orbit (SSO). The Delta-Velos Orbiter will also fly itself back to earth allow the system to be reused as soon as it is refueled.
The system is powered by The Spartan scramjet engine which uses Hydrogen as the fuel. Hydrogen is abundant and sustainable. Most importantly the system is reusable. There are no moving parts in the engine and it is self igniting. The ability to use any airport means that specialized space launch pads are no longer necessary. All of these factors reduce the cost of satellite launch significantly.
Hypersonix have development agreements with University of Southern Queensland and University of Sydney for the materials that are used on the outside of the plane. Once the speed exceeds Mach 5 the temperatures increase to over 2000 degrees C which calls for specialized materials to be used on the outside of the orbiter. The Sydney University Manufacturing Hub will also be 3D printing some parts for the venture. Siemens from Germany are providing the software.
The plan is to launch the vehicle in 2024 and all going well, to eventually join the race to develop hypersonic airliners.
What shape is the Heliosphere?
The Heliosphere is the area of space that is affected by the sun’s magnetic field. One way to think of the heliosphere is that is the cavity formed by the sun in interstellar space where the entire solar system exists. The Heliosphere extends more than twice the distance of Pluto from the sun. The bubble of the Heliosphere is continually inflated by plasma originating from the sun (known as the solar winds). It protects us from cosmic radiation that emanates from interstellar space.
Physicists have long wondered what shape the Heliosphere takes in space. In March 2020 a new model proposed that it is shaped like a croissant. Now we have discovered why it is this particular shape. Merav Opher and James Drake have developed a model that was able to show that it is hydrogen particles originating from outside the solar system causing the uneven flow of the Heliosphere and the croissant like shape.
Additionally they found that the presence of neutral gases colliding with the Heliosphere triggered a phenomenon called the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. This is a process where two materials of different densities collide. As the lighter material pushes against the heavier material, irregular shapes are formed. The models found that the drag within the solar system and the affect of the hydrogen gas generates the croissant shape of the Heliosphere.
A supercomputer that uses Light rather than Electricity
The Jean Zay supercomputer in France is one of the Top 500 most powerful computers in the world. It is also the first supercomputer to have photonics coprocessor.
A photonics coprocessor transmits information and processes information using light rather than electricity. This technology from LightOn has been used successfully since 2018. The Optical Processing Unit (OPU) uses photonics to speed up randomized algorithms at a very large scale. It does however work in tandem with Silicon CPUs. LightOn claims a peak performance of 1.5Peta Operations Per Second (or 1,500,000,000,000,000 OPS). This is 8 to 40 times higher than Graphical Processing Unit only acceleration.
Over the next few months researchers will be able to use the system to research machine learning foundations, satellite imaging and Natural Language Processing (NLP) activities. It also may be a first step in a future of hybrid computing which combine several approaches for faster performance.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and feature the startup in this newsletter. Also if any startups need introductions please get in touch and I will help where I can.
If you have any questions or comments please email me via my website craigcarlyon.com or comment below.
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Till next week.