The Z Machine is usually used to simulate nuclear weapon detonations 'As an astronomer, I am used to looking at stars from light-years away,' says Don Winget of the University of Texas at Austin. 'So it was a remarkable moment the first time we took a measurement froma distance of just 5 centimeters.'
The 'star' was recreated in a high-energy facility usually used to simulate nuclear weapon detonations - which fires 26 million amps of current through a container of hydrogen to simulate the hellish 10,000-degree surface of a white dwarf star.
The 'Z Machine' was built to simulate nuclear weapon detonations, but now devotes around 15 per cent of its time to experiments such as the star simulation, reports Inside Science. The machine produces huge amounts of energy - enough to melt diamonds.
It has generated temperatures of 3.7 billion Kelvins, the highest ever created by humankind, including the centre of hydrogen bomb explosions.
It also routinely generates electrical power equivalent to 80 times Earth's total power output.
In the 'white dwarf' experiment, researchers simulated the 'spectrum' of a white dwarf's surface by firing 26 million amps of electricity through tungsten wires, which vapourises them, releasing X-rays.
When the X-rays hit a container of hydrogen gas, it ionises and reaches a temperature of around 10,000 degrees centigrade, to recreate the conditions on the surface of a star.
Winget's team have been experimenting with the Z Machine since 2010.
'Everyone assumes we know hydrogen so well,' Winget said. 'As it turns out, that's not the case.'
When the Z Machine fires, 36 cables - each with the same girth as a horse's torso - fire simultaneously, triggered by laser switches. The cables, insulated by water, fire a pulse of 50 trillion watts into a target the size of a spool of thread.
While the Z machine can generate an extraordinary pulse of energy, it only does so for a tiny fraction of a second - the power used is only enough to provide electricity for 100 houses for two minutes, and is supplied by the local electricity company via a wall socket.


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