Developments with Nuclear Fusion

It was discovered that a handheld device was able create nuclear fusion to produce a small amount of 800 neutrons per second at room tempurature. This new handheld device is unable to create a bomb but is believed in the near future will be able to screen luggage at airports or to move a small space craft. They also believe because of its portability and its small size that it may even be able to help with medical, using them as x-ray treatment set in the body.

The creators of the new device at UCLA are shocked and believe much can happen.

Bibliography

• http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/basics/what-is-fusion.htm
• www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter13.html
• http://www.upei.ca/~physics/p261/projects/fusion1/howfusionrxnswork.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_power
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_nuclear_fusion
• http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/nuclear_weapons/nuclear_weapons.html
• http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2005-04-27-nuclear-fusion-gadget_x.htm

Thermonuclear Fusion Bombs

Fusion bombs have 2 main stages:

Primary Stage and Secondary Stage.

1. Primary Stage: This is where ordinary fission chain reaction occurs. The radiation from this reaction is used to heat the interior of the bomb to get tempuratures high enough to start the fusion reaction. During the nuclear reaction it gives off neutrons which are used in the secondary part of the reaction.




2. Secondary Stage: This is made up of lithium-deteuride (2H). Under incredibly heat the lithium-detueride splits into lithium (6Li) and deteurium ions and with the neutrons from the primary stage they react with the lithium and form (4He) and (3H)
   with these reactions: 1 neutron + 6Li --> 4He + 3H
   3H + 2H --> 4He + 1 neutron

These bombs are known as thermonuclear bombs. They are known to be more powerful than fission bombs but the main damage from these bombs are caused by the products of the primary stage of the reaction (the fission reaction).

Nuclear Fusion in the Future

For many years scientists have tried to understand the process of nuclear fusion and to create a new, safe, and controlled manner of it used as a new source of energy for electric-power generation. If they ever figure out how to control nuclear fusion in a contained space it will eventually take over nuclear fission for many reasons. One of the main reasons being that deuterium (the primary fuel for fusion) is more plentiful and lower in cost than the reaction of fission. This is because it is again cheaper and it is easier to find Hydrogen isotopes than uranium. Another reason why fusion would over ride fission is because fusion creates less radioactive material.

Even though these plans of using nuclear fusion as the new source of energy would be a great revolution for the world, they do not believe they will be able to ever control fusion in contained space because it is difficult to creat the high enough tempuratures and many other detailed tehcnical difficulties.

<--the amount of heat required to cause nuclear fusion to occur

The History of Nuclear Fusion

In 1929 Atkinson and Houtermans used Einsteins theory of E=mc^2 with the measured masses of light and used it to predict that large amounts of energy would give off if two small nuclei were fused together.

In 1939 Hans A. Bethe from Germany was the first to have theories on nuclear fusion. He had suggested the suns heat and light energy as well as the stars were created by the reaction of four hydrogen nuclei joining together and making a helium nucleus and releasing a lot of energy.

A Little About Hans A. Bethe:


He was the director of Theoretical Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory and was in the most senior level in World War II Manhattan Project creating the first atomic weapons.

Bethe was most recognized for his theories on atomic properties and in 1967 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on solar and stellar energy.

What is Nuclear Fusion?

Nuclear Fusion is a form of nuclear energy, where lighter atoms come together and join to make one bigger, heavier atom. When lower atomic number atoms fuse together, they release an abundance of energy. Energy is released because mass is lost in the process of fusion. Thermonuclear is the reaction of Nuclear Fusion only occuring at millions of degrees Kelvin where atoms break the force of repulsion caused by the positive charges from the protons in the nuclei of the atoms. Once the atoms overcome the repulsion, they attract and finally fuse together. The high tempuratures that are required for fusion only occurs in suns and uncontrolled nuclear chain reactions (atomic bombs).

Atomic bombs are uncontrolled nuclear chain reactions

Process of Nuclear Fusion-two small atoms joining together into one bigger one giving off energy