ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
January 2026
Latest News
Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
Fulvio Frisone
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 39 | Number 2 | March 2001 | Pages 260-265
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST01-A167
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The aim of this research was to analyze the reaction of deuteron fusion, catalyzed by the plasmons in lattices with a cubic structure, to varying the temperature. The probability of fusion in pure and impure palladium metal is calculated using a hypothesis that suggests a kind of chain reaction within the crystalline lattice. As a consequence of the enhanced tunneling effect due to increasing the temperature and the concentration of impurities, this chain reaction would be favored by microcracks formed in the structure as a result of lattice deformation. This paper interprets the results obtained, considering the trend of the potential that describes the effective interaction between deuterons within the metal. In effect, the coupling of plasmons and deuterons, in the presence of impurities, can not only reduce the thickness but also lower the height of the Coulomb barrier K.