Nuclear Fusion

About

Background: Experiments proclaiming to provide nuclear fusion in tabletop systems generated significant criticism from the physics community, as typically large reactors employing magnetic and inertial confinement are necessary to produce fusion reliably. Some examples, such as cold fusion and bubble fusion, yield irreproducible results and have encountered deep skepticism.    Innovation: Researchers at UCLA have identified a method for generating fusion under desktop condition by using the extremely large electric fields produced during the heating of a pyroelectric crystal to accelerate deuterium ions into collisions that generate the fusion.    Applications: Palm-sized neutron generator Electrostatic fusion devices Microthrusters for miniature spacecraft   Advantages: Only requires a very small amount (centimeter-sized) of active material for operation Produces a neutron flux over 400 times the background level