☄️ Scientists show nuclear explosion can deflect asteroid

• Scientists have simulated the effect of X-rays from a nuclear explosion on asteroids.
• The results show that the method can provide sufficient force to change the trajectory of large asteroids.
• The technique could potentially be used to avert threats from asteroids up to four kilometers in diameter.

Simulation of asteroid deflection in laboratory

Scientists have conducted an experiment showing that X-rays from a nuclear explosion could be enough to save Earth from an incoming asteroid. The study, published in Nature Physics, used Sandia National Laboratories' Z machine to fire X-rays at two miniature asteroids, reports Science.

Nathan Moore, a physicist at Sandia National Laboratories, and his colleagues designed the experiment to simulate what might happen if a nuclear device were detonated near an asteroid. Previously, researchers have studied the effect of the explosion's pressure wave, but Moore's team argues that the large amount of X-rays produced in the explosion would have a greater effect in changing an asteroid's trajectory.

Experiment setup and results

The Z machine uses magnetic fields to produce high temperatures and powerful X-rays. It created an X-ray bubble that hit two miniature asteroids made of quartz and silicon, each about 12 millimeters in size. The asteroids were suspended in a thin foil inside a vacuum.

When the X-ray bubble hit, it cut through the foil and set the asteroids in free fall. The experiment lasted only 20 millionths of a second. The results showed that the quartz and silicon samples were accelerated to 69.5 meters per second and 70.3 meters per second respectively before they vaporized. The acceleration was caused by the X-rays vaporizing the asteroids' surfaces, creating thrust as gas expanded away from the surfaces.

Potential use for planetary defense

Moore says the results show that the technique can be scaled up to much larger asteroids, up to about 4 kilometers in diameter, to nudge them away from a collision course with Earth. This is particularly interesting for the largest asteroids with short warning times, where other methods might not have enough energy to change their trajectory.

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