A team of scientists, led by university professor Virginia Patrick Hopkins, is working on a groundbreaking project to create a plasma “beam freezing” technology that could revolutionize cooling methods for electronics in space. This research, published in Nature Communications, has caught the attention of engineers and the US Air Force who have allocated $750 thousand in funding for a three-year project. Hopkins, heading the Exsite laboratories, will be responsible for developing a prototype.
In the past, the concept of a “beam of frost” was seen as a violation of the second law of thermodynamics. However, recent advancements in plasma physics have made this idea possible. Plasma, an ionized gas with extremely high temperatures, possesses unique properties that can be utilized for cooling. When plasma interacts with other materials, it creates a cooling effect. By evaporating water and carbon dioxide molecules absorbed on a surface, plasma can rapidly reduce temperatures by tens of degrees.
The US Air Force and Space Forces are particularly interested in this technology as they face challenges in cooling electronics in space where traditional methods based on water or air circulation do not work. They are hopeful that Hopkins’s “Ray of Freezing” technology will serve as a viable alternative by allowing robotic hands equipped with sensors to detect and cool “hot spots” in electronic circuits.
While there is still much work to be done, the next step for the team is to create a more compact prototype and explore the use of other gases that may be more effective for this purpose.