Open AccessPhysics Essay: Repulsionless Fusion by Neutron Absorption
Author(s) -
David L. Selke
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
applied physics research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1916-9647
pISSN - 1916-9639
DOI - 10.5539/apr.v8n6p30
Subject(s) - physics , neutron , nuclear physics , helium , proton , nuclear fusion , absorption (acoustics) , fusion , tritium , atomic physics , optics , linguistics , philosophy
It is possible to build Helium-4 from Hydrogen-1 by adding only neutrons. The key step is that Tritium decays to Helium-3; thus, a particle that entered the nucleus as a neutron becomes a proton. The need to overcome the mutual repulsion of positively charged nuclei is thus avoided. Given a cheap enough neutron source, this method promises fusion without Sun-like conditions.