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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.physics,net.space
Subject: Re: Thermonuclear Device
Message-ID: <6306@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 21-Jan-86 15:37:24 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.6306
Posted: Tue Jan 21 15:37:24 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Jan-86 15:37:24 EST
References: <477@anasazi.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 13

> One means of creating the temperatures and pressures necessary for
> nuclear fusion is atmospheric ablation.

Alas, it won't work.  Yes, you can get heat and pressure that way, but
nowhere near *enough* of either.  The energy is coming from the kinetic
energy of the projectile, so the maximum heating can be calculated by
assuming that all the kinetic energy is instantly turned into heat and
none of the energy is lost to the atmosphere. You end up with temperatures
of tens of thousands of degrees, tops.  Not good enough, by orders of
magnitude.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry