Fusion

sid_galt

A plasma consists of both ions and uncharged particles of gases. Is it possible for the uncharged particles to fuse or only atoms whose protons have been stripped off can fuse?

so-crates

Do you mean atoms whose electrons have been stripped off? I imagine the answer is yes, since fusion processes take place for heavier atoms, and I imagine ti would be next to impossible to strip off all the electrons before fusion takes place. This is just a guess and Im not a physicist though. I would ask over on one of the physics forums, like Nuclei and Particles.

Morbius

sid_galt,

Not quite.

A plasma consists of ions and electrons, and neutral particles.

The ions and electrons are charged - however the net charge on the
plasma is zero because the number of positive charges [ ions ] equals the
number of negative charges [ electrons ].

However, if the uncharged neutral nuclei are hit by a proton or ion of
sufficient energy - you get fusion.

In essence, that's how fusion was first produced in particle accelerators
like cyclotrons - fast protons hit a target that was cold and uncharged.

All that matters is that the two fusing nuclei hit each other with enough
energy. The electrons don't matter - at the nuclear scale - they are a
long way away, and don't take any part in any reactions concerning the
strong nuclear force.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist

Morbius

so-crates,

No - it's easier to strip off the electrons than it is to get fusion.

You can have a "fully ionized plasma" and still not have fusion.

Fusion is definitely the more difficult of the two.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist

NEOclassic

Hi Dr GG,
About a year ago, I was doing a study (in the microwave oven in my home kitchen) that was less an ionization phenomenon than one of the kinetic theory of molecular gases. Let me describe what I discovered (I do have a video camera record): Most molecular gases when caught in an ordinary "round" latex balloon will tend to rise or fall (e.g., ~five liters of freon gas that may have been partially, although invisibly condensed, countered more than est. 30 or more liters of "party grade" Helium.) in the Texas environment and some of the lighter-than-Nitrogen gases such as methane are easily shown to rise; however, methanol or ammonium or water molecules must be de-condensed and putting these liquids into balloons might be a method of making them molecular by simply radiating them in a kitchen microwave oven. I didn't get around to anything but ordinary faucet water - except a very small amount of ammonium hydroxide in a small round balloon made such a fireworks (light flashes) display that I decided not to even mess with methanol because of retained oxygen in the ballon. If the water sample that was inserted in the balloon before microwave radiation was too large, the fact that all the water molecules were evolved at the same moment usually meant the balloon would burst before human control could shut the process down. If too small the molecular volume ceased growing when the sample was exhausted and recondensation occurred - an important fact was revealed when it was noticed that a non water gas, probably carbon dioxide which is renowned to be highly soluble in water did not recondense. When the charge was just right M/L, and the latex was expanded to some ideal thickness, the molecular water gas would flow through the pores in the latex and the condensation of the water outside the balloon would occur but not without the volumetric collapse of the plastic container in which the process was isolated - it was the plastic bottle that previously held 40 ounces of peanut butter.

When I ran out of round balloons I started using "bird shaped" latex balloons that had a protusion of a head in one direction and a tail in the opposite direction - partial recondensation apparently was happening and that was evidenced by the bird figure rocking more or less continually.

I finally got down to the long slender latex balloons that I charged with some ideal amount of water and which I placed in the bottom of the tightly closed plastic bottle. With this arrangement I was to be royally entertained by a truly plasma gas which can only be explained, I surmise, as follows: the long slender balloon which was actually shorter than the periphery of the cylindrical bottle, grew plumper and longer with radiation and ultimately over lapped its opposite end thus making a circular conducting path (that was not the slightest impeded by the two layers of latex between the ends) and which lighted up magnificently but seemed somewhat unsteady - possibly because of the pulsing wave nature of the radiant source. There can be no doubt, I believe, that ionization of water molecules or even atomic fragmentation might have occured.
If I still have your attention I would like to ask about your source of a LANL report that showed that there was sufficient unburned plutonium 239 in a spent fuel rod to make a so-called "nuke".

Incidentally, I finally got a 9-inch round balloon to rise in the microwave environment because of water molecules or ionic plasma - Of course, I realize that the volatility of whaterver gas is there, is also dependent on the elevated temperature, but then at any lower temperature condensation happens. Thanks for your audience, Jim Osborn

SpaceTiger

In fact, this happens very rapidly in supernova remnants. The elements heavier than iron are built up by colliding neutrons with with charged nuclei. The "neutron-heavy" isotopes then beta decay to form elements with more protons.

sid_galt

Thanks for the help

hitssquad

It was not an ionization phenomenon at all. Microwave radiation is non-ionizing.
http://google.com/search?q=radiation...zing+microwave


What you made in your balloons was steam, not plasma.

Morbius

hitssquad,

I agree - microwave radiation is non-ionizing.

You need to get to frequencies in the upper ultra-violet or X-rays and
above to be ionizing.

Neoclassic certainly did not make a plasma with his microwave.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist

Uno Lee

If I put a florescent bulb (with all the external metal parts removed) in a micro-wave oven, wouldn't it glow? Isn't this ionization?

NEOclassic

Hi again good Dr.

After I discovered that my water sample expelled disolved carbon dioxide I chanced, while thinking that the radiation created merely molecular water, that to test the process as a desalinization thing, might be of interest. Noting that the salt remained crystallized in the balloon alright but that the residual freed CO2 was still in the balloon. I was just thinking that I might adjust the solubility constant of CO2 to hopefully reduce the retained volume. To that end I saturated another identical sample of the saline solution with Sodium bi-carbonate. There was such an elegant flashing light display that I never noticed whether or not the CO2 gas had disappeared. This experiment had been conducted in a closed plastic bottle and in a 7" round latex balloon. The volume of the original sample was .05 milliliters. The plastic had been grotesquely misshapen, The volume of desalinated water was > 0.075 ml, not counting a patina of visible surface moisture and inside the balloon was a mixture of white and yellow crystals the latter of which I might surmise were simply Sodium Carbonate. I believe that the magnetic radiation was somehow responsible for the redox that removed the proton from the bicarbonate and created half of a new water molecule with it.

Perhaps electrons are not completely removed but in order to get a photon when a simply excited electron hits that massless quantum field is certainly evidence of some excitement force. Another recent contributor to this string has pointed out truthfully that halogen gas in light bulbs as well kernel gases in bulbs light up in a pulsed sort of way even when an incandescent filament has already been burned out.

May I suggest that those of the responders to my little experiment who doubt my veracity or my speculations that for less than a couple of bucks for balloons mostly and the family microwave oven, you too can become the happy fool you accuse me of being. I have pictures of the light and I will listen to any sensible argument that can explain light production as a consequence other than that proposed here. Cheers, Jim Try it, its rather cheap and you'll have more fun than you've had since Jr High science.
P.S. Dr. I would dearly appreciate the source of that "nuke" from spent fuel rod item. Thanks.

Uno Lee

Do microwaves transmute into electricity when they hit metal? I think the ammonium ion behaves like a metal, thus explaining the "light flashes." I don't think (though I wouldn't want to try) that the methanol would ignite unless there was a metal (or metal-like ion) in the oven too.

Davorak

I agree that NEOclassic did not ionize anything with the microwave. However he did create a plasma by adding ammonium hydroxide to water. The technical definition of a plasma does not require an atomic ionization to be occur. Salty water is consider to be a plasma.

The microwaves then pulled the ions away from each other. The sparking he observed happen when the solution(or vapor) reached the break down voltage, causing an arc.

Edit:
NEOclassic much of what you say is filled with gramatical errors. I am certainly not great at this either. However the gramatical errors make it hard to understand you. I sugest you reread your post before you post.

Uno Lee

Is this why a metal spoon will spark in the microwave?

Davorak

Yes but in metal the electrons are moved around and the ions will stay still.

Morbius

Davorak,

A physicist would not call that a plasma.

Yes, salt in water disassociates into positive ions and negative ions -
but that is not a plasma.

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definit...864603,00.html

In a plasma, the negaive charges are free electrons - you don't have
that in salty water - all the electrons are still bound to atoms.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist

hitssquad

A plasma is a type of gas. Water is a type of liquid.