Spacecraft of the Future Could Be Powered By Lattice
Confinement Fusion:
"On Earth, fusion experiments typically require large, expensive equipment to pull off.
But researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have now demonstrated a method
of inducing nuclear fusion without building a massive stellarator or tokamak. In fact,
all they needed was a bit of metal, some hydrogen, and an electron accelerator.
The team believes that their method, called lattice confinement fusion, could be a
potential new power source for deep space missions. They have published their
results in two papers in Physical Review C."
"“What we did was not cold fusion,” says Lawrence Forsley, a senior lead experimental
physicist for the project. Cold fusion, the idea that fusion can occur at relatively low
energies in room-temperature materials, is viewed with skepticism by the vast
majority of physicists. Forsley stresses this is hot fusion, but “We’ve come up with a
new way of driving it.”
“Lattice confinement fusion initially has lower temperatures and pressures” than
something like a tokamak, says Benyo. But “where the actual deuteron-deuteron
fusion takes place is in these very hot, energetic locations.” Benyo says that when she
would handle samples after an experiment, they were very warm. That warmth is
partially from the fusion, but the energetic photons initiating the process also
contribute heat."
See:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise...k-not-included