nuclear fusion

The released products of a transmutation reaction (I say transmutation when 2 particles reacts to generate more than one) follows the conservation of kinetic energy law. Also particles moving in opposite direction can have equal speed one with respect the other than rather if one of them is...

For a Year 12 Assignment I have to do a seminar on how magnetic fields are involved with a certain topic. I chose nuclear fusion energy production and specifically the tokamak. I understand that a toroidal magnetic field is created when a current is sent through a solenoid wrapped in a torus...

I am an undergrad physics major in my final semester currently taking Intro to Thermodynamics. As a final project, each student must choose a topic related to thermodynamics that is more advanced than what is covered in the curriculum and write a paper and present our findings to the class on...

Hi guys, I have been reading about nuclear fusion and I have some doubts that I did not find the answer. I understand that the reactants are in a more energetic state than the products when the energy release occurs, however: *What triggers the release of energy? *Where does the released energy...

http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/249809/why-only-light-nuclei-are-able-to-undergo-nuclear-fusion-not-heavy-nuclei Can anyone please explain me - what is similar between Nuclear fission & Nuclear fusion? Why are only light nuclei able to undergo nuclear fusion, not heavy nuclei? I am a...

I understand that the nuclear cross section determines the probability of fusion taking place. When I was talking to my friend he said that the cross section doesn't depend on anything but the particles and their energies. But I fail to understand this. For example, let us consider ionization. I...

ok so this has been on my mind for a while. If the hotter a stars burn or flame the further it goes on the spectrum correct so what if it burned so hot it is literally invisible wouldent that be considered a dark matter then it's a dark matter sun

I am a high school senior debating between these two majors. In high school, I enjoyed both Mechanics and E&M very much so its really tough for me to decide which of the two engineering fields I'll like more. Whichever field I pick, I am also planning to minor or double in Physics and Computer...

Wikipedia says that solar core has 15 millions of Kelvins ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_core ), what translates into ~1.4 keV energy per degree of freedom. For nuclear fusion we need to take the two nuclei to distance of range of nuclear forces: ~1fm (...

How could an element and all its atoms die? With nuclear fusion they combine atoms, so are they also making elements?....is it possible to make an element shooting the right number of p+,n, & e- and then contain it/save it for later?

1. Homework Statement Assuming that we could generate Australia's electricity from a fusion reactor, that converted hydrogen to iron and turned the energy into electricity with 100% efficiency, what mass of fuel would it use per year? You may assume that this fusion reaction converts 1% of the...

has anyone looked into the possibility of nuclear fusion without neutrons? it would make IEC fusion easier without all the neutrons running around making things radioactive and wearing them down. I am wondering if p-B11 (proton-boron11) fusion is really an aneutronic fuel. deuterium-Helium3...

I make no promises: I came up with this idea for a new kind of nuclear fusion reactor. I do not want to give off any clues to how it works so I am going to be as vague as possible. I think it could be a viable means to nuclear fusion becoming... well, breakeven. I have by no means tested it...

I do think that the idea I had recently and one that I have been pondering about since is something mundane. Specifically because its so simple. Yet its an abstract one that I would like to know more about it from someone who can take the time to think about it and write a paragraph or two. In...

Here's an interesting article (from the magazine Science) about the Wendelstein 7-X Stellarator which is due to be switched on at the end of the month- 'The bizarre reactor that might save nuclear fusion' http://www.sciencemag.org/content/350/6259/369.full Construction video-

I am interested in applying plasma physics in nuclear fusion program in France or Germany . Both are good in this field , but where i can get good scholarships and i am from electrical engineering background so where i have better chance of getting admitted.

Hi I have a really weird idea that is robbing me of my sleep. One of the many problems with fusion seems to be how to harvest the energy released by the reaction efficiently. So as I was slowly drifting into sleep I was wondering, how we usually harvest energy from reactions, and the piston...

Greetings I am not a physicist myself, so please forgive me, if my question/proposition will sound naif. I noticed some articles about accelerating electrons using laser and glass gratings: http://phys.org/news/2013-09-chip.html http://phys.org/news/2013-10-particles-compact-particle.html...

Hello, I was just brainstorming for futuristic inventions with context for a sci-fi, high fidelity game (because I'm too cool to revise for exams) - and I thought of one, but my physics and engineering knowledge is at best sketchy when it comes to gravity and nuclear fusion combinations, I was...

1. Homework Statement (a) What processes changes atomic number by 1? What are the favourable conditions? How do you tell a neutrino is involved? How can we use this to understand the mass of this particle? (b) Use semi empirical mass formula to explain why odd-odd isobars are unlikely, while...

I was curious about why the plasma inside a modern fusion reactor (ITER, DIII-D) is modeled with a D-shaped cross section. From what I've read, it is more stable that way, but WHY is it more stable than a similar plasma flow with a circular cross-section? Thanks in advance (and sorry if I...

So I was reading this article about NASA’s Plutonium 238 problem and it got me thinking about possible substitutes. This is what I came up with. You make thin sheets of beryllium mixed with some kind of alpha particle emitter. You also make thin sheets of some substance that is good for...

What courses can I pursue after my undergrad education that will enable me to work on next gen nuclear technologies? What kinds of people work in these areas and what career paths do they choose? I've read a lot about the different kinds of people working on Gen 4 reactors(LFTRs, TWRs) and...

In the news today, several articles about Lockheed's ambitious five or ten year plan. eg this one from the Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-business/wp/2014/10/15/nuclear-fusion-energy-in-a-decade-lockheed-martin-is-betting-on-it/ This one from Aviation Week...

Hello, I'm 15 and very interested in physics. I'm building a safe nuclear fusion reactor as a science project. (I know how to safely handle high voltage and radiation) I have a question about the power supply. First off, I know that fusion takes around 40 Kilo-volts and it needs to have a...

Hello All, In this recent Navy publication, a team of researchers said they have discovered cusp confinement. This could be a major step towards fusion power. I am working on a write up of this publication. I am trying to understand their inferometry data. As far as I can tell, the...

I am a Senior in High School and I would like guidance in selecting a major. I've been most seriously considering Aeronautical, Mechanical, Chemical, and Materials engineering. Maybe Engineering Physics, I don't know too much about it though. Is nuclear engineering a major some places? What...

Hi, I'm in my final year at an Australian high school and I plan on completing at Bachelors in Science Majoring in Physics as my undergraduate course. My career aspiration is one day work researching nuclear fusion, though I am happy to work with fission reactors, they're just not my first...

1. Homework Statement During fusion of hydrogen to helium, 4 billion kg of matter are converted to energy each second. What fraction of the Sun’s total mass is lost each year to this process? 2. Homework Equations None. 3. The Attempt at a Solution First: Convert how many seconds are there...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12007965" [Broken] Can anyone shed any light on this? Will work on building ITER be delayed or postponed because of this wrangling? They are talking about absolutely huge amounts of money which is maybe politically unpalatable for many...