Note: this topic is from 4/27/2005. Thanks FairOpinion.
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Posted on 04/27/2005 8:30:27 PM PDT by FairOpinion
A pocket-sized device which can harness fusion, the energy source of the Sun, with the help of crystals no bigger than a sugar cube has been developed by scientists.
The "pocket fusion" device, described today in the journal Nature, raises new possibilities in fields as diverse as space propulsion, medical diagnostics, cancer treatment and the hunt for concealed weapons.
Now Brian Naranjo, Jim Gimzewski, a professor from Glasgow, and Prof Seth Putterman of the University of California, Los Angeles describe a breathtakingly simple way to fuse atoms with the help of a crystal.
They fused atoms of deuterium - heavy hydrogen - using a pyroelectric crystal to generate a beam of charged particles - deuterium ions - to bombard a deuterium target.
"These crystals were discovered 2,000 years ago by the Ancient Greeks," said Mr Naranjo.
"It is the electrical analogue of a permanent magnet and if you heat or cool it you can build up a very large charge and very large electric field."
With gentle warming, even by hand, researchers concentrated the field made by the crystal at the tip of a connected tungsten needle.
The neutron emission is 400 times stronger than the usual background level.
"We are getting about 1,000 neutrons a second," said Mr Naranjo. "The amazing thing is that we are heating a crystal to 25C and getting this very large fusion signal with no external power supplies.
"It is just a crystal with a needle. The simplicity is striking."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Di-lithium crystals; which would be like two tritium sets (6vs3).
The byproduct of the Di-lithium reaction in Star Trek was TRI-Lithium. No idea on how much energy you can get from such a reaction though.
Thanks for the links.
I am in Los Angeles, so I should stop by UCLA and ask for a personal demonstration. ;)
None
Note: this topic is from 4/27/2005. Thanks FairOpinion.
In before the luddites (IBTL)... Oh, wait... No, they beat me by a mile. Look up Seth Putterman, luddites.
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