Nuclear Fusion Enhancement by Heavy Nuclear Catalysts
Fuente:
arXiv
Enregistré dans:
| Auteurs principaux: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2025
|
| Sujets: | |
| Accès en ligne: | |
| Tags: |
Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
|
| _version_ | 1866912777847701504 |
|---|---|
| author | Grayson, Christopher Rafelski, Johann |
| author_facet | Grayson, Christopher Rafelski, Johann |
| contents | We seek to understand the effect of high electron density in the proximity of a heavy nucleus on the fusion reaction rates in a hot plasma phase. We investigate quantitatively the catalytic effect of gold ($Z=79$) ions embedded in an electron plasma created due to plasmonic focusing of high-intensity short laser pulses. Using self-consistent strong plasma screening, we find highly significant changes in the internuclear potential of light elements present nearby. For gold, we see a $14\,$keV change in the internuclear potential near the nuclear surface, independent of the long-distance thermal Debye-Hückel screening. The dense polarization cloud of electrons around the gold catalyst leads to a $\sim 1.5$ enhancement of proton-boron ($^{11}$B) fusion above $T=100\,$keV. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_07804 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Nuclear Fusion Enhancement by Heavy Nuclear Catalysts Grayson, Christopher Rafelski, Johann Plasma Physics Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Nuclear Theory We seek to understand the effect of high electron density in the proximity of a heavy nucleus on the fusion reaction rates in a hot plasma phase. We investigate quantitatively the catalytic effect of gold ($Z=79$) ions embedded in an electron plasma created due to plasmonic focusing of high-intensity short laser pulses. Using self-consistent strong plasma screening, we find highly significant changes in the internuclear potential of light elements present nearby. For gold, we see a $14\,$keV change in the internuclear potential near the nuclear surface, independent of the long-distance thermal Debye-Hückel screening. The dense polarization cloud of electrons around the gold catalyst leads to a $\sim 1.5$ enhancement of proton-boron ($^{11}$B) fusion above $T=100\,$keV. |
| title | Nuclear Fusion Enhancement by Heavy Nuclear Catalysts |
| topic | Plasma Physics Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Nuclear Theory |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.07804 |