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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.
Gennady V. Fedorovich
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 24 | Number 3 | November 1993 | Pages 288-292
Technical Note | Cold Fusion | doi.org/10.13182/FST93-A30203
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A proposal for an experiment to investigate a new physical object (called the “E-cell”) is presented. The E-cell can be used as an appropriate “catalyst” for nuclear fusion reactions in solids. The E-cell is a radiation defect of a crystalline lattice of some light metal (6Li, 7Be, 10B) hydride that is formed after a fission (as a result of a thermal neutron capture) of a metal atom nucleus. If the pressure in the crystal is in the megabar range, the following two features of the E-cell are of interest: 1. The average density of free electrons in the central region of the E-cell exceeds 1024 cm−3; this results in a large suppression of the Coulomb barrier between hydrogen nuclei; the value of the screening parameter exceeds ≃109 cm−1. 2. The potential energy of the preliminary compressed crystalline lattice can be transformed into the kinetic energy of the collision of a pair of hydrogen nuclei. This energy can reach some hundreds of electron-volts, and it provides the possibility of an approach between hydrogen nuclei to a distance of ≤10−9 cm. The summary result is the effective catalysis of hydrogen nuclear fusion to a detectable rate. The experimental investigation of the E-cell can lead to the creation of conditions for the effective enhancement of the fusion rate to values that are of practical interest.