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Can Cherenkov, Bremsstrahlung and Scintillation from radioactive decay or fission produce high intensity light?
I'm no physics expert so this might be a wild idea. Theoretically do you think a reactor can be made that relatively efficiently produces large amounts of light using Cherenkov, Bremsstrahlung and Scintillation or some combination thereof? If yes then maybe by capturing the light by using photovoltaic panels (or even beta voltaic panels) it could be a source of electric power?
It would be nice if efficiency and cost per kwh was in between normal nuclear power and solar photovoltaic.
Potentially no moving parts, except for the cooling system unless it runs by convection. The operating temp could be well below boiling point of water. No steam and no steam turbine. Making this a cheap electricity source at the small scale.
1 Answer
- ?Lv 77 years ago
Cherenkov radiation is the product of high end radiation entering a medium in which it must travel slower, The energy change is released partly as light - most as high end gamma radiation. A tiny number of people have seen this - they are all dead.
Photovoltaic systems are very inefficient - and they do not capture energy from high end radiation. They would cook and slag very quickly.