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steveJOBS
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Is nuclear fusion fusion possible on Earth naturally or can it be possible in an Earth in a parallel universe??
steveJOBS said:Is nuclear fusion fusion possible on Earth naturally or can it be possible in an Earth in a parallel universe??
Do you have a reference for that? That's something I'd like to have in the old mental filing cabinet, along with the Oklo fission reactor.Vanadium 50 said:There is a very, very small amount of muon-catalyzed fusion in the oceans.
Ibix said:Do you have a reference for that?
I'm highly skeptical of this. The reason lab-observed muon-catalyzed fusion works so well is because the muon is captured by an exchange reaction, where H2+ (two nucleons and an electron) undergoes an electron-muon exchange to give H2μ+. The thing is, the only thing holding the H2+ system together is that one electron. When it's replaced by the muon, the bond length shortens by the mass factor of the muon. For D2O, on the other hand, you have a system of 10 electrons, 4 of which directly participate in bonding and 8 of which are valence electrons. Furthermore, if the fusion is D-D, you have to get the deuterons close enough together to fuse, but remember, there's an oxygen atom in the way. So the muon would have to either, as mfb said, encounter some dissolved D2 in the seawater, or it would have to 1) catalyze the breakup of D2O into something that was geometrically amenable to fusion, and 2) remain attached to that species to actually catalyze the fusion. I'd be interested in seeing the reference you're pulling from, if you can remember it.Vanadium 50 said:There was a Scientific American (I think) article many years back that calculated this. Basically, you get a mu- that slows down in seawater and is captured on deuterium. Then you get D-H fusion, or if you happen to hit some D2O, D-D. (While D2O is rarer than DHO by a factor of several thousand, the fusion rate is higher by a factor of several thousand) It's a hard process to observe, because there are many larger sources of helium.
Yes, nuclear fusion is possible on earth. In fact, fusion reactions occur naturally in the sun and other stars. Scientists are also working on developing controlled fusion reactions on earth, which could potentially provide a nearly limitless source of clean energy.
Nuclear fusion is the process of combining two or more atomic nuclei to form a heavier nucleus. This process releases a large amount of energy, which is why it is used as a source of energy. Fusion reactions require extremely high temperatures and pressures to overcome the repulsive forces between positively charged nuclei.
One of the main challenges of nuclear fusion is creating and maintaining the extreme conditions necessary for the reaction to occur. This requires advanced technologies and materials that can withstand the high temperatures and pressures. Additionally, containing and controlling the reaction is a major challenge, as any disruptions could be dangerous.
Yes, nuclear fusion is generally considered safer than nuclear fission. Fission reactions involve splitting heavy atomic nuclei, which can produce radioactive byproducts and potential meltdowns. Fusion reactions, on the other hand, do not produce any radioactive waste and have a lower risk of meltdowns. However, there are still safety concerns with controlling and containing fusion reactions.
There is currently no exact timeline for achieving controlled nuclear fusion on earth. Scientists have made significant progress in recent years, but there are still many technical challenges to overcome. Some estimates suggest that it could be achieved within the next 50 years, while others believe it may take longer. Continued research and advancements in technology are necessary to make this a reality.