Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!klaatu.rutgers.edu!josh
From: josh@klaatu.rutgers.edu (J Storrs Hall)
Newsgroups: sci.nanotech
Subject: Room temperature Fusion
Message-ID: <Mar.24.21.11.33.1989.1413@klaatu.rutgers.edu>
Date: 25 Mar 89 02:11:37 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 53
Approved: josh@klaatu.rutgers.edu

Grabbed from sci.space at the suggestion of the author:

From: dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz)
Subject: Re: Room Temperature Fusion - possible indication?


(In the following, preface all references to the discovery with
modifiers like "reported", "claimed", etc. and statements by
"assuming it is not a hoax...".)

I believe the discovery might be what is known as "pycnonuclear
fusion", meaning fusion induced by high densities rather than high
temperatures.

Even in thermonuclear fusion, the fuel nuclei do not have enough
energy to actually touch, in a classical sense.  Rather, they can come
close enough so that they can tunnel together in the very short time
before they scatter.  In pycnonuclear fusion, the atoms are compressed
statically.  They therefore have a much longer time in which to
tunnel.  However, because the tunneling rate goes down exponentially
with distance, they still must be quite close.  The nuclei need not be
moving -- pycnonuclear fusion can proceed even at absolute zero.

I wonder if the reaction proceeds by one deuteron tunneling into the
other, forming a compound nucleus that splits, or by the tunneling of
a single nucleon from one nucleus to the other.

One of the researchers said on Macneil-Lehrer that the densities achieved
are the same as gaseous D2 compressed to 10^27 atmospheres (!).  I would
like to know how this was computed.

Nowhere on the news was it reported how fast the reaction actually
goes, although it was implied that the energy released exceeded the
energy supplied.

It might be possible to use slightly enriched water to suppress D+D
reactions in favor of H+D-->He3+gamma reactions.  This would be
largely aneutronic.

I imagine there might be problems in operating a reactor at high
temperatures -- the water would boil, and deuterium would diffuse
rapidly out of the electrode.  Perhaps one could use high pressure to
raise the boiling point, or inject deuterons with a low energy ion
beam.  Also, one could achieve high thermodynamic efficiencies by
stopping the neutrons and gamma rays in a separate, insulated high
temperature collector.

Nuclear proliferation may have just become a lot easier.  I am
moderately surprised that it wasn't classified.  Maybe it will be
now? :-)

	Paul F. Dietz
	dietz@cs.rochester.edu