Posted on 06/08/2021 1:40:42 PM PDT by Kevmo
Nuclear Fusion Reactions in Deuterated Metals
Vladimir Pines and Marianna Pines PineSci Consulting Avon Lake, Ohio 44012
Arnon Chait and Bruce M. Steinetz National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center Cleveland, Ohio 44135
Lawrence Forsley JWK Corporation Annandale, Virginia 22003
Robert C. Hendricks, Gustave C. Fralick, and Theresa L. Benyo National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center Cleveland, Ohio 44135
Bayarbadrakh Baramsai, Philip B. Ugorowski, and Michael D. Becks Vantage Partners, LLC Brook Park, Ohio 44142
Richard E. Martin Cleveland State University Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Nicholas Penney Ohio Aerospace Institute Brook Park, Ohio 44142
Carl E. Sandifer, II National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center Cleveland, Ohio 44135
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Summary* * This paper was published by American Physical Society (APS) as Phys. Rev. C 101, 044609 (20 April 2020), and can be found at: https://journals.aps.org/prc/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevC.101.044609.
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Nuclear fusion reactions of D-D are examined in an environment comprised of high density cold fuel embedded in metal lattices in which a small fuel portion is activated by hot neutrons. Such an environment provides for enhanced screening of the Coulomb barrier due to conduction and shell electrons of the metal lattice, or by plasma induced by ionizing radiation (γ quanta). We show that neutrons are far more efficient than energetic charged particles, such as light particles (e−, e+) or heavy particles (p, d, α) in transferring kinetic energy to fuel nuclei (D) to initiate fusion processes. It is well-known that screening increases the probability of tunneling through the Coulomb barrier. Electron screening also significantly increases the probability of large- versus small-angle Coulomb scattering of the reacting nuclei to enable subsequent nuclear reactions via tunneling. This probability is incorporated into the astrophysical factor S(E). Aspects of screening effects to enable calculation of nuclear reaction rates are also evaluated, including Coulomb scattering and localized heating of the cold fuel, primary D-D reactions, and subsequent reactions with both the fuel and the lattice nuclei. The effect of screening for enhancement of the total nuclear reaction rate is a function of multiple parameters including fuel temperature and the relative scattering probability between the fuel and lattice metal nuclei. Screening also significantly increases the probability of interaction between hot fuel and lattice nuclei increasing the likelihood of Oppenheimer-Phillips processes opening a potential route to reaction multiplication. We demonstrate that the screened Coulomb potential of the target ion is determined by the nonlinear Vlasov potential and not by the Debye potential. In general, the effect of screening becomes important at low kinetic energy of the projectile. We examine the range of applicability of both the analytical and asymptotic expressions for the well-known electron screening lattice potential energy Ue, which is valid only for E >> Ue (E is the energy in the center of mass reference frame). We demonstrate that for E ≤ Ue, a direct calculation of Gamow factor for screened Coulomb potential is required to avoid unreasonably high values of the enhancement factor f (E) by the analytical—and more so by the asymptotic—formulas. 1.0 Introduction Electron screening is essential for efficient nuclear fusion reactions to occur. Screening effects on fusion reaction rates as measured in deuterated materials have been demonstrated to be important. The nuclear reaction rate includes two primary factors: the Coulomb scattering of the projectile nuclei on the target nuclei as well as nuclei tunneling through the Coulomb barrier. During elastic scattering of charged projectiles on a target nucleus, such as a deuteron, some of the energy of the projectile particle is transferred to the target nucleus, hence heating it. Depending on the projectile particle energy and the efficiency of kinetic energy transfer during the scattering event, the target deuteron may become energetic enough to enable subsequent nuclear fusion reactions via tunneling through the Coulomb barrier. Electron screening may play a significant role in this process because of hot fuel interacting with lattice nuclei in the highly screened environment, as has been demonstrated in the companion experimental work reported in Steinetz et al. (Ref. 1). In the current work we analyze the electron screening effect on Coulomb scattering and the tunneling process involving charged projectiles. We then demonstrated the superior efficiency of the kinetic energy transfer by energetic neutrons on the target deuteron nuclei resulting in subsequent nuclear reactions. Such a process is a key ingredient in achieving and sustaining nuclear reactions.
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8.0 Summary of Results This study indicates the crucial role of electron screening on the overall efficiency of nuclear fusion events between charged particles. We show that neutrons are far more efficient than energetic charged particles, such as light particles (e–, e+) or heavy particles (p, d, α) in transferring kinetic energy to fuel nuclei (D) to initiate fusion processes. We provide a theoretical framework for d-D nuclear fusion reactions in high-density cold fuel nuclei embedded in metal lattices, with a small fraction of fuel activated by hot neutrons, which in this study are produced by γ-induced photodissociation. We also establish the important role of electron screening in increasing the relative probability Psc(π/2 ≤ θ ≤ π) to scatter in the back hemisphere (π/2 ≤ θ ≤ π), an essential requirement for subsequent tunneling of reacting nuclei to occur. This will correspondingly be reflected as an increase in the astrophysical factor S(E). We also clarify the applicability of the concept of electron screening potential energy Ue to the calculation of the nuclear cross section enhancement factor f (E). We demonstrate that the screened Coulomb potential of the target ion is determined by the nonlinear Vlasov potential and not by the Debye potential. In general, the effect of screening becomes important at low kinetic energy of the projectile. We examine the range of applicability of both the analytical and asymptotic expressions for the well-known electron screening lattice potential energy Ue, which is valid only for E >> Ue (E is the energy in the center of mass reference frame). We demonstrate that for E ≤ Ue, a direct calculation of Gamow factor for screened Coulomb potential is required to avoid unreasonably high values of the enhancement factor f (E) by the analytical— and more so by the asymptotic—formulas.
The Cold Fusion/LENR Ping List
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/coldfusion/index?tab=articles
Keywords: ColdFusion; LENR; lanr; CMNS
chat—science
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Vortex-L
http://tinyurl.com/pxtqx3y
Best book to get started on this subject:
EXCESS HEAT
Why Cold Fusion Research Prevailed by Charles Beaudette
https://www.abebooks.com/9780967854809/Excess-Heat-Why-Cold-Fusion-0967854806/plp
Updated No Internal Trolling Rules for FR per Jim Robinson
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3928396/posts
If someone says stop, then stop. Do not enter onto a thread on a topic you don’t like just to disrupt, rattle cages, poke sticks, insult the regulars, or engage in trolling activities, etc.
This paper was published by American Physical Society (APS) as Phys. Rev. C 101, 044609 (20 April 2020), and can be found at: https://journals.aps.org/prc/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevC.101.044609.
NASA Claims Cold Fusion Without Naming It
https://hackaday.com/2020/09/28/nasa-claims-cold-fusion-without-naming-it/
58 Comments
by: Al Williams
September 28, 2020
Do you remember in 1989 when two chemists announced they’d created a setup that created nuclear fusion at room temperature? Everyone was excited, but it eventually turned out to be very suspect. It wasn’t clear how they detected that fusion occurred and only a few of the many people who tried to replicate the experiment claimed success and they later retracted their reports. Since then, mentioning cold fusion is right up there with perpetual motion. Work does continue though, and NASA recently published several papers on lattice confinement fusion which is definitely not called cold fusion, although it sounds like it to us.
The idea of trapping atoms inside a metallic crystal lattice isn’t new, dating back to the 1920s. It sounds as though the NASA method uses erbium packed with deuterium. Photons cause some of the deuterium to fuse. Unlike earlier attempts, this method produces detectable neutron emissions characteristic of fusion.
This isn’t as seductive a proposition as having a beaker of heavy water and little else, though, because you do need a source of electrons to kick off the reaction. Still, this should point the way to future research and maybe even inspire some garage experiments.
Keep in mind there is a big difference between creating net positive energy via fusion and just fusing a few atoms together. We’ve seen a few fusors that can pull that off.
Posted in Science
Tagged deuterium, erbium, fusion, fusor, nasa, nuclear, nuclear fusion, nuclear power
NASA Detects Nuclear Fusion in Deuterated Metals Irradiated With Gamma Radiation
NASA Found Another Way Into Nuclear Fusion
By Caroline Delbert
Sep 21, 2020
NASA has made tiny, but promising steps toward lattice confinement nuclear fusion.
Magnetic fusion requires massive heat and is still not sustainable for energy use.
Deuterium is crammed into all the empty spaces in an existing metal structure.
NASA has unlocked nuclear fusion on a tiny scale, with a phenomenon called lattice confinement fusion that takes place in the narrow channels between atoms. In the reaction, the common nuclear fuel deuterium gets trapped in the “empty” atomic space in a solid metal. What results is a Goldilocks effect that’s neither supercooled nor superheated, but where atoms reach fusion-level energy.
☢️
“Lattice confinement” may sound complex, but it’s just a mechanism—by comparison, tokamaks like ITER and stellarators use “magnetic confinement.” These are the ways scientists plan to condense and then corral the fantastical amount of energy from the fusion reaction.
In a traditional magnetic fusion reaction, extraordinary heat is used to combat atoms’ natural reaction forces and keep them confined in a plasma together. And in another method called “inertial confinement,” NASA explains, “fuel is compressed to extremely high levels but for only a short, nano-second period of time, when fusion can occur.”
By contrast, the lattice is neither cold nor hot:
“In the new method, conditions sufficient for fusion are created in the confines of the metal lattice that is held at ambient temperature. While the metal lattice, loaded with deuterium fuel, may initially appear to be at room temperature, the new method creates an energetic environment inside the lattice where individual atoms achieve equivalent fusion-level kinetic energies.”
The fuel is also far more dense, because that’s how the reaction is triggered. “A metal such as erbium is “‘deuterated’ or loaded with deuterium atoms, ‘deuterons,’ packing the fuel a billion times denser than in magnetic confinement (tokamak) fusion reactors. In the new method, a neutron source ‘heats’ or accelerates deuterons sufficiently such that when colliding with a neighboring deuteron it causes D-D fusion reactions.”
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With atoms packed so densely within the atomic lattice of another element, the required energy to induce fusion goes way, way down. It’s aided by the lattice itself, which works to filter which particles get through and pushes the right kinds even closer together. But there’s a huge gulf between individual atoms at energy rates resembling fusion versus a real, commercial-scale application of nuclear fusion.
But, NASA says, this is an important first step and one that offers an alternative to the spectacular scale of major tokamak and stellarator projects around the world. Even the smallest magnetic confinement fusion reactors require sun-hot fusion temperatures that have continued to create logistical problems. There will always be use cases where that isn’t feasible to install or maintain, even after scientists finally make it work on a practical scale.
Scientists are doing cutting-edge work on all these kinds of reactors, but a way that didn’t require heating to and maintaining millions of degrees could be a lot simpler. At the very least, it could be suited to applications where a magnetic fusion reactor isn’t feasible. Before then, scientists will need to find a way to increase the rate of atomic reactions manyfold, and they say they have several ideas for how to try to do that.
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” ... where individual atoms achieve equivalent fusion-level kinetic energies.”
Ping
“Richard E. Martin Cleveland State University Cleveland, Ohio 44115”
I can’t understand the jargon and I had a lot of physics in college.
How I envision this whole lattice thing is:
A$$hole is nucleus
Boot is neutron
cheeks are electron cloud/coulomb barrier.
Usually it takes a lot of force/heat and either accuracy or many attempts in order to get a nuclear reaction.
What the structure of the lattice does is it acts like a cheek spreader. Holding the electrons in a different formation that allows a much larger opening for a nuclear reaction. Not as much force or heat required. Neutron already close to nucleus.
OK, Smartstuff. You supply a few definitions.
astrophysical factor S(E)
Oppenheimer-Phillips processes
nonlinear Vlasov potential and not by the Debye potential
Gamow factor for screened Coulomb potential
enhancement factor f (E)
γ-induced photodissociation
Not afraid to admit that this is gibberish to me.
please let me know in 20 years if something gibbered and created extra AC-DC
I do think something will come from this, especially as we master nano-technology. I can see us this to cold weld metals together, like they can in space.
Do you also plan to post the Steinetz experimenal work??
No worries. I had a whole year myself but my excuse was our Prof asked on the first day of class if any us were planning on being Physicists or just engineers and everyone in the class kept our hands down. Of course this upset his colleagues in the department as Physics is a weeding out class but we were happy as clams.
I only peeked to see how many Freepers actually understood this. I took “Physics for Poets,” so that excludes me.
>> I only peeked to see how many Freepers actually understood this. I took “Physics for Poets,” so that excludes me.
I stopped by for steam and pit bulls too, but I was disappointed with this thread.
Seems to be a pretty thorough and well-done set of experiments proving that LENR (or whatever one chooses to call it) is undoubtedly producing fusion reactions in deuterated metals.
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