A fusor is a device that uses an electric field to heat ions to nuclear fusion conditions. The machine induces a voltagebetween two metal cages, inside a vacuum. Positive ions fall down this voltage drop, building up speed. If they collide in the center, they can fuse. This is one kind of an inertial electrostatic confinement device – a branch of fusion research.
A Farnsworth–Hirsch fusor is the most common type of fusor.[1] This design came from work by Philo T. Farnsworth in 1964 and Robert L. Hirsch in 1967.[2][3] A variant type of fusor had been proposed previously by William Elmore, James L. Tuck, and Ken Watson at the Los Alamos National Laboratory[4] though they never built the machine.
Fusors have been built by various institutions. These include academic institutions such as the University of Wisconsin–Madison,[5] the Massachusetts Institute of Technology[6] and government entities, such as the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority.[7][8] Fusors have also been developed commercially, as sources for neutrons by DaimlerChrysler Aerospace[9] and as a method for generating medical isotopes.[10][11][12] Fusors have also become very popular for hobbyists and amateurs. A growing number of amateurs have performed nuclear fusion using simple fusor machines.[13][14][15][16][17][18] However, fusors are not considered a viable concept for large-scale energy production by scientists.
Radiation[edit]
Charged particles will radiate energy as light when they change velocity.[28] This loss rate can be estimated for nonrelativistic particles using the Larmor formula. Inside a fusor there is a cloud of ions and electrons. These particles will accelerate or decelerate as they move about. These changes in speed make the cloud lose energy as light. The radiation from a fusor can (at least) be in the visible, ultraviolet and X-ray spectrum, depending on the type of fusor used. These changes in speed can be due to electrostaticinteractions between particles (ion to ion, ion to electron, electron to electron). This is referred to bremsstrahlung radiation, and is common in fusors. Changes in speed can also be due to interactions between the particle and the electric field. Since there are no magnetic fields, fusors emit no cyclotron radiation at slow speeds, or synchrotron radiation at high speeds.
In Fundamental limitations on plasma fusion systems not in thermodynamic equilibrium, Todd Rider argues that a quasineutral isotropic plasma will lose energy due to Bremsstrahlung at a rate prohibitive for any fuel other than D-T (or possibly D-D or D-He3). This paper is not applicable to IEC fusion, as a quasineutral plasma cannot be contained by an electric field, which is a fundamental part of IEC fusion. However, in an earlier paper, "A general critique of inertial-electrostatic confinement fusion systems", Rider addresses the common IEC devices directly, including the fusor. In the case of the fusor the electrons are generally separated from the mass of the fuel isolated near the electrodes, which limits the loss rate. However, Rider demonstrates that practical fusors operate in a range of modes that either lead to significant electron mixing and losses, or alternately lower power densities. This appears to be a sort of catch-22 that limits the output of any fusor-like system.
Neutron source[edit]
The fusor has been demonstrated as a viable neutron source. Typical fusors cannot reach fluxes as high as nuclear reactor or particle accelerator sources, but are sufficient for many uses. Importantly, the neutron generator easily sits on a benchtop, and can be turned off at the flick of a switch. A commercial fusor was developed as a non-core business within DaimlerChrysler Aerospace– Space Infrastructure, Bremen between 1996 and early 2001.[9] After the project was effectively ended, the former project manager established a company which is called NSD-Fusion.[12] To date, the highest neutron flux achieved by a fusor-like device has been 3 × 1011 neutrons per second with the deuterium-deuterium fusion reaction.[10]
Patents[edit]
- Bennett, W. H., U.S. Patent 3,120,475, February 1964. (Thermonuclear power).
- P. T. Farnsworth, U.S. Patent 3,258,402, June 1966 (Electric discharge — Nuclear interaction).
- P. T. Farnsworth, U.S. Patent 3,386,883. June 1968 (Method and apparatus).
- Hirsch, Robert, U.S. Patent 3,530,036. September 1970 (Apparatus).
- Hirsch, Robert, U.S. Patent 3,530,497. September 1970 (Generating apparatus — Hirsch/Meeks).
- Hirsch, Robert, U.S. Patent 3,533,910. October 1970 (Lithium-Ion source).
- Hirsch, Robert, U.S. Patent 3,655,508. April 1972 (Reduce plasma leakage).
- P. T. Farnsworth, U.S. Patent 3,664,920. May 1972 (Electrostatic containment).
- R. W. Bussard, "Method and apparatus for controlling charged particles", U.S. Patent 4,826,646, May 1989 (Method and apparatus — Magnetic grid fields).
- R. W. Bussard, "Method and apparatus for creating and controlling nuclear fusion reactions", U.S. Patent 5,160,695, November 1992 (Method and apparatus — Ion acoustic waves).
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See also[edit]
- Coulomb barrier
- Helium-3 – possible fuel
- List of Fusor examples
- List of plasma (physics) articles
- Polywell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusor
Synchrotron radiation (also known as magnetobremsstrahlung radiation) is the electromagnetic radiation emitted when charged particles are accelerated radially, e.g., when they are subject to an acceleration perpendicular to their velocity (a ⊥ v). It is produced, for example, in synchrotrons using bending magnets, undulators and/or wigglers. If the particle is non-relativistic, the emission is called cyclotron emission. If the particles are relativistic, sometimes referred to as ultrarelativistic, the emission is called synchrotron emission.[1] Synchrotron radiation may be achieved artificially in synchrotrons or storage rings, or naturally by fast electrons moving through magnetic fields. The radiation produced in this way has a characteristic polarization and the frequencies generated can range over the entire electromagnetic spectrum, which is also called continuum radiation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchrotron_radiation
Cyclotron radiation is electromagnetic radiation emitted by accelerating charged particles deflected by a magnetic field.[1] The Lorentz force on the particles acts perpendicular to both the magnetic field lines and the particles' motion through them, creating an acceleration of charged particles that causes them to emit radiation as a result of the acceleration they undergo as they spiral around the lines of the magnetic field.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclotron_radiation
Above. Post on Fusor Missing. Could not find by search. Illicit Edit; Post Deletion Illicit.
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