Stressed...

I admit it; I'm feeling stressed.

Our nuclear physics workshop/conference here in Oslo, where I'm supposed to give a talk (and show RESULTS) is only three weeks away, and my gamma detectors are not yet calibrated. Don't get me wrong: it's not like I'm giving up (I don't think I'm a quitter), but I know there is work to be done. I think I have to go through my plan, and check how I'm doing with my milestones/goals - I'll give you an update tomorrow <3

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I think I could have worked faster, but I really really want to understand this - and make sure I make NO MISTAKES! So today I made this table, and the next step is to try to find the different gamma energies from the table and place them in the plot...hope my "prework" will pay off, and that tomorrow will be successful day ;)

Talk talk and talk (foredrag)

Good morning from the airport everyone!

I'm blogging from the gate at Gardermoen airport - on my way to Trondheim to give a talk about nuclear power (it will actually be more like two talks: one about "myths" about nuclear power and radiation, and one more technical about thorium as a nuclear fuel) for a bunch of science teachers *excited!* :D

Just "stopping by" to say Hi, and wish you all a great, sunny (at least the weather is beautiful here at Gardermoen) day, and to tell you about the talks I'll be giving before summer - in case anyone's interested in coming ;)

• May 6th: The "Women in Tech"-conference 
• May 12th: Popular talk about nuclear power and maybe some thorium
• Week 21: About the progress of my uranium-233 experiment - at the Oslo (nuclear physics) Workshop
• May 26th: The future of nuclear power and thorium and what's really "the thing" about Norwegian thorium - INSEAD Alumni 
• June 1st: Popular talk about nuclear power and thorium

So if you're interested, the two talks in pink are open to everyone...;)

Q-value

Today I've made this table (with my new favourite: this calculator :D ):

So this beautiful table shows the different Q-values for the different reactions that go on in my experiments (oh, yes, there's beryllium and there's carbon and there's oxygen there - even though it would've been nice if it was only uranium...).

The Q-value tells how much energy that is released in a certain reaction: for the first reaction, for example, the Q-value is 4620 keV, which means that when a deutron hits a uranium-233 nucleus, and a proton goes out of that reaction, around 4600 keV (energy) is released ;). If that same deutron hits an oxygen-16 nucleus instead of the uranium-233, and a triton (instead of a proton) is released, the reaction absorbs energy instead of releasing energy: 9406 keV to be (almost) exact...

I also, finally, submitted my application about changing my theoretical curriculum for my PhD degree :D

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It's beautiful at the University these days, btw - don't you agree? Love blossoming cherrytrees:)

Hofstadter's Law

This is so the story of my life these days...and on top of everything, the apartment is a mess - since we're trying to make it fit two adults instead of one. Not that I'm complaining about that - I love it - but it takes time :P

Anyway; guess that Hofstadter's Law applies to a lot of areas in life? For me right now it's mostly science and living situation stuff ;)

Favourite Reactor

Ok, so my absolute favourite nuclear reactor is....

...the SUN! Of course.

And I simply LOVE that because of the fantastic nuclear fusion reactor, just about 8 light minutes (149 600 000 km) away, I can wear open toe stilettoes as my lecture shoes - as I did today <3 <3 <3 (Love these shoes too, btw; aren't they pretty?)

Anyway: I think it's so funny that solar power really is nuclear power, since the sun is a gigantic nuclear power plant (or continuously exploding atomic bomb...:P), that gets its energy by fusion of really light nuclei, like hydrogen and helium.

It's soooo cool that you get an energy release when light nuclei fuse to form a heavier one; as always it's because mass and energy are really the same (Einstein again), and the two light nuclei weigh more (when you add them up) than the heavier nucleus you get after they fuse. The "lost" mass has been converted to energy :D

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Ok, now I have to run, to get to an interview - I just had to say hi and tell you about my favourite reactor.

Do you have a favourite (nuclear) reactor?

-S

Snapchat

Dear dear readers!

I´m so sorry about my "not being as active as I really want to"-behaviour here at det blog these days, but I´m trying to be a good PhD student and a good mother and prepare talks and fix the apartment and everything...and of course there's something about my internet connection at home these days - meaning, there is no internet for me there (Anders' Mac is fine, but suddenly it's not possible for me to connect) :/

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Anyway; hope you understand, and please follow me on Instagram and Snapchat - I've just started to "figure out" Snapchat (haha), and I'm sharing pictures from everyday life at the University (and then some - Alexandra, for example :) ).

I'm @sunnivarose on Insta and Snap, of course ;)

(yes, I´m giving a talk about nuclear power and thorium tomorrow at one :) )

Supervision from Sunniva

No, I'm not talking about myself, but supervisor-Sunniva, of course :D

This is what we've looked at today - the ALFNA matrix, and we've tried to figure out some of the gamma peaks that we see (in red); oxygen-17 and beryllium-10:

I just figured out that she's going to South-Africa tonight (for an experiment at iThemba lab), and I almost panicked, because I really need supervision now, since our workshop/conference is soon coming up (early May), where I have to give a talk about the results from my experiment :/ She promised we could Skype, though, so I'm hoping that will work...