[extropy-chat] A ROOM-TEMPERATURE PALM-SIZED NUCLEAR FUSION DEVICE

[Neil Halelamien]

On 4/27/05, Dirk Bruere <dirk at neopax.com> wrote:
> Dan Clemmensen wrote:
> 
> > What has happened to the list? Here we have the first simple, fully
> > replicable,
> > fully understood benchtop fusion device, and the only two responses
> > are dismissive.
> >
> > Look: Its a first try. Yes, the result is not exothermic, but since
> > the science is
> > well understood, scientists can use this as a basis for improvement.
> > With just a bit
> 
> It's not the first benchtop fusion device and is about 7 orders of
> magnitude inferior to the best Farnsworth fusor.
> http://www.rexresearch.com/farnsworth/fusor.htm

For what it's worth, here's the last sentence of the Nature paper
detailing the research:

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v434/n7037/full/nature03575.html

"We have shown that small (about centimetre-sized) pyroelectric
crystals can produce ion beams (see also Supplementary Fig. 1 and
Supplementary Movie 2) of sufficient energy and current to drive
nuclear fusion. We anticipate increasing the field ionization current
by using a larger tip, or tip array, and by operating at cryogenic
temperatures. With these enhancements, and in addition using a
tritiated target, we believe that the reported signal could be scaled
beyond 10^6 neutrons s^-1. Pyroelectric crystals may also have
applications in electrostatic fusion devices, such as the Farnsworth
fusor, and as microthrusters in miniature spacecraft."

--

Personally, I'm curious if this breakthrough is applicable to
accelerator transmutation of nuclear waste:

http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/designs/atw/ATWreport.html
http://apt.lanl.gov/atw/
http://www.google.com/search?q=accelerator+transmutation+of+nuclear+waste