A benchtop fusion reactor increased neutron output by packing more deuterium into palladium with electrochemistry. Tabletop fusion reactor boosts deuterium-deuterium fusion rates by 15% using electrochemical loading in palladium. (CREDIT: UBC) Nuclear fusion usually brings to mind sprawling facilities, blistering temperatures, and machines built on a scale that can swallow budgets whole. This device does something stranger. It sits on a lab bench, runs at room temperature, and still produces a measurable fusion signal. Researchers at the University of British Columbia say their compact setup, called the Thunderbird Reactor, increased fusion rates by about 15% by packing more deuterium into...