Shaped femtosecond laser pulses might be able to improve muon catalyzed fusion for energy generation
by noreply@blogger.com (brian wang) from NextBigFuture.com on (#2EK1J)
Scientists at Rice University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Chile offered a glimpse into a possible new path toward controlled nuclear fusion.
Their report on quantum-controlled fusion puts forth the notion that rather than heating atoms to temperatures found inside the sun or smashing them in a collider, it might be possible to nudge them close enough to fuse by using shaped laser pulses: ultrashort, tuned bursts of coherent light.
Authors Peter Wolynes of Rice, Martin Gruebele of Illinois and Illinois alumnus Eduardo Berrios of Chile simulated reactions in two dimensions that, if extrapolated to three, might just produce energy efficiently from deuterium and tritium or other elements.
In 1999, the nobel prize was awarded for the use of femtosecond-long laser flashes to trigger chemical reactions. This was called femtochemistry.
Femtosecond laser chemistry has been around since the 1980s.
Femtosecond pulse shaping has been around for over ten years
Muon catalyzed fusion has been around since the 1950s.
Shaped vacuum ultraviolet laser pulses could be used to improve muon catalyzed fusion enough for energy generation.
The femtochemical technique is central to the new idea that nuclei can be pushed close enough to overcome the Coulomb barrier that forces atoms of like charge to repel each other. When that is accomplished, atoms can fuse and release heat through neutron scattering. When more energy is created than it takes to sustain the reaction, sustained fusion becomes viable.
Using shaped laser pulses - ultrashort, tuned bursts of coherent light - might make it possible to nudge atoms in a deuterium/tritium molecule close enough to fuse, according to a new study. Graphic courtesy of the Gruebele Group/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Their report on quantum-controlled fusion puts forth the notion that rather than heating atoms to temperatures found inside the sun or smashing them in a collider, it might be possible to nudge them close enough to fuse by using shaped laser pulses: ultrashort, tuned bursts of coherent light.
Authors Peter Wolynes of Rice, Martin Gruebele of Illinois and Illinois alumnus Eduardo Berrios of Chile simulated reactions in two dimensions that, if extrapolated to three, might just produce energy efficiently from deuterium and tritium or other elements.
In 1999, the nobel prize was awarded for the use of femtosecond-long laser flashes to trigger chemical reactions. This was called femtochemistry.
Femtosecond laser chemistry has been around since the 1980s.
Femtosecond pulse shaping has been around for over ten years
Muon catalyzed fusion has been around since the 1950s.
Shaped vacuum ultraviolet laser pulses could be used to improve muon catalyzed fusion enough for energy generation.
The femtochemical technique is central to the new idea that nuclei can be pushed close enough to overcome the Coulomb barrier that forces atoms of like charge to repel each other. When that is accomplished, atoms can fuse and release heat through neutron scattering. When more energy is created than it takes to sustain the reaction, sustained fusion becomes viable.
Using shaped laser pulses - ultrashort, tuned bursts of coherent light - might make it possible to nudge atoms in a deuterium/tritium molecule close enough to fuse, according to a new study. Graphic courtesy of the Gruebele Group/University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignRead more