All articles tagged with #trinity test
Live Science’s weekly science roundup covers renaming PCOS to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), new evidence that Neanderthals drilled teeth around 60,000 years ago, and the discovery of a rare ‘alien’ crystal formed from the world’s first atomic blast (red trinitite with unique clathrate structures).
Scientists using CT and X-ray scans on trinitite—the glass formed by the 1945 Trinity nuclear test—have identified a hitherto unseen red clathrate crystal trapped within its lattice. This marks the first observation of such a clathrate in natural or nuclear-explosion materials, highlighting the extreme conditions produced by nuclear detonations; researchers caution that collecting samples from the blast site is illegal.
Analysis of red trinitite from the Trinity test uncovered a tiny copper-rich droplet containing a previously unknown calcium-copper-silicon clathrate crystal, a structure not seen in nature or in nuclear debris. Using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and density functional theory, researchers showed this clathrate, alongside a Trinity quasicrystal, formed under the blast’s extreme, non-equilibrium conditions. While scientifically intriguing for understanding metastable phases and extreme-material formation, the crystal is extremely rare and not practical for commercial use.
Physicists analyzing red trinitite from the Trinity test have identified a previously unknown silicon-calcium-iron clathrate, a nanoscale crystal structure formed by vaporized tower metals; confirmed with single-crystal X-ray diffraction and nanoscale imaging, this new phase could advance understanding of clathrates used in batteries, solar cells, and quantum devices, and provides a rare extreme-condition crystal for modeling.
Christopher Nolan's upcoming film "Oppenheimer" will feature a recreation of the Trinity Test, the first nuclear bomb detonation, done without the use of CG visual effects. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema reveals that the team experimented with various techniques, including power-filled aquariums, metallic balloons, and objects spinning and smashing into each other. The sequence took several weeks to film, and the final elements are being kept under wraps. Nolan's commitment to practical effects has become a signature of his filmmaking style.
The upcoming biopic "Oppenheimer" directed by Christopher Nolan used old-fashioned miniatures to recreate the Trinity test, the first nuclear weapon detonation. The film's special effects supervisor, Scott R. Fisher, revealed that they used "bigatures" to make the miniatures look real and experimented with adding minerals to gasoline and propane to recreate the initial flash. The $100 million budgeted film boasts a stacked cast and is filmed in a combination of IMAX 65mm and 65mm large-format film photography. It will be released exclusively in cinemas on July 21st with 70mm, 35mm, and IMAX print engagements.