Pyroelectric fusion

Under Pyrofusion refers to the possibility of nuclear fusion to achieve with the help of a pyroelectric crystal.

Seth Putterman of the University of California (UCLA ) and his collaborators Brian Naranjo, Jim Gimzewski and published in Nature in 2005, an article about pyroelectrically induced nuclear fusion. The working group is in front of an easy-to -use, small apparatus, allowing the mergers of deuterium nuclei.

Technology

To ionize the deuterium atoms, and then to accelerate to the required speed for the fusion, the investigators used a pyroelectric crystal as a power source. Pyroelectric crystals have electric dipole moments, the re-orientation with changes in temperature, and thus build an electric voltage between the two bases of the crystal. That with such a crystal, a kind of mini- accelerator can be realized for electrons, is already known.

Putterman and his colleagues now applied the acceleration principle to deuterium. The used in the experiment, centimeter-sized crystal of lithium tantalate ( LiTaO3 ) reached during heating voltages greater than 100 kV. Then concentrated an electric field strength of about 25 GV / m in the wall unit on the positive side of the crystal, tiny tungsten tip. The tip is in a container filled with deuterium gas containers located in front of the tip atoms are ionized ( field ionization ). The deuterium ions are then repelled by the tungsten tip and away to a 10 cm, containing deuterium target ( Erbiumdeuterid Erd2 ) accelerated toward. Upon impact, it comes to nuclear fusion. It can be detected with an energy of 2.45 MeV neutrons and X-rays.

Application

With a yield of just under 1,000 neutrons per second and an energy yield of only about joules per heating cycle, the apparatus can not be used for energy though, but as a handy source of neutrons for example, for security or material investigations, the device is appropriate. A much higher yield of neutrons with an energy of 14 MeV would be expected by the bombardment of tritium.