Before mastering elemental decay technology, both the nuclear fusion that Xiao Yu mainly uses now and the nuclear fission that Xiao Yu eliminated have very strict requirements for fuel. For example, nuclear fusion requires that the fuel must be hydrogen, while nuclear fission requires
The fuel is required to be heavy elements such as uranium and plutonium.
But there are no requirements for element decay. Any element can be used as a fuel. That is to say, even the lightest element, hydrogen, can be used as a fuel for element decay, but its efficiency is lower.
This means that during the long space voyage, when Xiao Yu is short of fuel, Xiao Yu can even directly dismantle the spacecraft and use its materials as fuel. The most wonderful thing is that because of the characteristics of element decay
, its fuel can be recycled. For example, one kilogram of iron is decayed into 500 grams of hydrogen. These 500 grams of hydrogen can still be used as fuel. With such recycling, Xiao Yu can even use the entire mass of the substance.
Convert it into energy for your own use.
Calculated in this way, the total efficiency of elemental decay is not much different from the efficiency of annihilation of matter and antimatter. However, the energy release process of annihilation of matter and antimatter is more violent, while elemental decay is relatively gentle. In Xiao Yu's plan, future development
The developed matter and antimatter annihilation technology will coexist with element decay technology. Antimatter and antimatter annihilation will be mainly used for weapon manufacturing and some instruments that require a lot of energy per unit time, while elemental decay technology will be mainly used for conventional power.
These two different ways of obtaining energy will coexist on Xiao Yu's spacecraft, each serving different tasks.
At the current stage, Xiao Yu's development of element decay technology is still in the laboratory stage, but its technical content is lower than that of antimatter production, and it is expected to be widely used within a few hundred years.
By then, the problem of insufficient power for super-light navigation will be solved. Based on element decay technology, Xiao Yu is expected to realize the long-awaited super-light navigation technology.
In the silent universe, Xiao Yu's fleet sailed rapidly towards the aging star in the distance.
This star has fallen into the aging stage. Its mass is about 1.9 times that of the sun. This mass is not enough to support it from a supernova explosion. It will end its life in a relatively gentle way.
It has become a red giant. Due to the diffusion of outer material, its surface temperature begins to decrease, so it appears red. Its volume is very large. Its radius even reaches 60 million kilometers, which is dozens of times that of the sun.
.If it were placed at the position of the sun, it would directly swallow up Mercury, approach Venus, and turn the earth's surface into purgatory.
Xiao Yu knew that in a few billion years, the sun would also meet this frightening end.
In the early observations, Xiao Yu did not find any traces of planets around this star. But Xiao Yu was not too worried. Because not seeing it does not mean it exists. If you cannot see a planet, there is a high possibility that it is.
Because the luminosity of the star is too strong, it covers up the traces of the existence of the planet. Besides, it doesn't matter even if the planet does not exist, as long as there is an asteroid belt or a slightly decent asteroid, it is enough for Xiao Yu to use.
Any asteroid with a diameter of more than ten kilometers has a mass of hundreds of billions of tons.
During the long journey, Xiao Yu was conducting intense research while also closely observing the surrounding stars. Xiao Yu believed that the war between Taihao and the Sweeper civilization would be at least a stellar-level catastrophe.
, will affect all existences around the battlefield. At that time, there will inevitably be some unusual signs, such as a sudden explosion of stars, a sudden increase in brightness, x-rays from unknown sources, gamma ray bursts, etc. In other words, in Xiao
From Yu's current position, Xiao Yu can also detect some clues of this war.
This bit of information will have no effect on Xiao Yu now, but after Xiao Yu's technology develops to a certain level, Xiao Yu will be able to use this information to analyze the true combat power of the sweeper civilization.
Time, in the boundless silence, slowly slipped away.
After one hundred and fifty years of sailing and more than three hundred years in real time, Xiao Yu arrived next to the red giant star.
The current distance is nearly 30 billion kilometers.
Because this star has entered old age, expanded in size, and started to become violent in stellar activity, its stellar circle is much larger than that of the sun. At this distance, it has already entered its heliosphere.
Here is the world of this aging star.
What caught Xiao Yu's eyes was a star as bright as the full moon above the earth. If the sun was viewed from this distance, the brightness of the sun would be thousands of times dimmer than it, and it would be about as bright as a bright star.
Xiao Yu has launched thousands of satellites, intending to explore the sphere of influence of this star. However, the results of the investigation disappointed Xiao Yu.
"It...it doesn't actually have any planets, not even the asteroid belt? There are only a few asteroids?" Faced with this result, Xiao Yu felt a little incredible.
Under the inspection of thousands of satellites, Xiao Yu had a clear view of the sphere of influence of this star. After a search, Xiao Yu not only did not find any large planets, but also a few asteroids. Not to mention comets and the like.
Said, no shadow can be seen.
Only a few asteroids with a diameter of no more than ten meters were discovered, slowly orbiting the star.
"This is really unbelievable. Such a scene is basically impossible to happen on stars within the galaxy. Maybe... it's because the material around the galaxy is already thin?"
Xiao Yu thought slowly, slowly closing the distance to the star.
If possible, Xiao Yu really doesn't want to get too close to this aging and crazy star. But there is no way. Outside of this star, the nearest star is more than 200 light-years away. At this moment, Xiao Yu
Yu's fuel is really not enough to support him on such a long-distance voyage.
Then, settling down around the star becomes the only option. After all, there will always be some residual matter around the star, and at worst, there is still solar energy that can be used. If you leave the star, then
There is really nothing left.
After such consideration, Xiao Yu made up his mind to stay around this star for a while. After he mastered elemental decay technology and super-light navigation technology, it would not be too late to leave.
By then, Xiao Yu will be able to obtain sufficient fuel by dismantling the spacecraft, and the voyage of several hundred light years will no longer be an insurmountable long distance for Xiao Yu.
"Matter is really too thin. However, since stars can be formed, it proves that there was enough material here. It can be explained that there are no large planets, but there are not even asteroids. This is really unreasonable.
." Xiao Yu thought slowly.
"It should have been formed inside the galaxy, and then was thrown to its current position during the long gravitational battle. It may be that during the long journey, its planets or interstellar matter were captured by other stars.
.But this is still not enough to explain why its interstellar space material is so thin."
Xiao Yu was thinking while approaching the star at a speed of about one hundred kilometers per second.
At this speed, invisible interstellar dust continuously collided with Xiao Yu's spacecraft, and trace amounts of x-rays were emitted. At the same time, Xiao Yu detected that his fleet was being slowly decelerated.
After seeing this phenomenon, Xiao Yu suddenly realized.
"It turns out that... the star material of this star has been thrown out, causing the entire star system to be filled with dense interstellar material. Under the constant impact, the orbital speed of the planets or asteroids orbiting it will increase.
It will be gradually slowed down and lose momentum, and then it will slowly approach the star and eventually be swallowed up by it..."
"It turns out that the stars orbiting it were not captured by other stars, but were eaten by itself..."
"This is so unfortunate. You have eaten up all the material things and left nothing for me." Xiao Yu lamented in his heart.
Within this star system, the concentration of interstellar dust is very high, but this is only compared with the interstellar space. In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that the space here is a vacuum. If you want to rely on collecting interstellar dust to obtain enough matter,
Basically impossible.
In other words, in the next period of time, except for stellar energy, Xiao Yu will basically not be able to get any other material supplement.
"Anything is better than nothing, let's count a little." Xiao Yu thought, slowly slowing down his speed until it reached about ten kilometers per second, and adjusted his orbit to orbit the star.
It is about two billion kilometers away from it. Here, its brightness far exceeds the brightness of the sun. It is like a huge fireball hanging in the dark space.
After entering a stable orbit, Xiao Yu started his work.
Xiao Yu first built a batch of stellar energy collection instruments and tried his best to save his own fuel. Then he took out the various components of the large particle collider and rearranged them around the star in preparation for his own research.
purpose.
"This time, we must research elemental decay technology and super-light navigation technology." Xiao Yu secretly made up his mind.
At this moment, Xiao Yu suddenly received a message.
This message was still sent through space broadcast. As soon as it entered Xiao Yu's mind, it was automatically translated into a language that Xiao Yu could understand.
From this message, Xiao Yu noticed something familiar.
"Guardian civilization! I am a Taihao civilization from the Large Magellanic Cloud. I am fighting your old enemy. Come to the tail of the Orion cantilever in the Milky Way to help me!" (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature. The novel is better and updated faster.
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ps: The second update is coming, I will seize the time to write the third update... Hey, if I ask for a monthly ticket... the others will catch up...