Abstract
We speculate on a new mechanism for deuteron-deuteron fusion reactions at electron-volt energies. Appealing to conservation principles, it is shown that deuteron tunneling leading to fusion is very unlikely to take place between two isolated deuterons. It is argued that in solids, however, tunneling may lead to fusion via a new reaction mechanism which populates energy levels of4He, with simultaneous energy transfer to an electron. Predictions of this theory are that d+d+e− fusion at electron-volt energies in solids should lead to copious production of tritium, protium, energetic electrons, and small quantities of4He.
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The angular momentum of the state at 25.5 MeV is uncertain and that state is ignored in our analysis (see Ref. 11.)
Thinking heuristically of tunneling as a scattering process, this means that the reaction can take place only when the deuterons' spins are opposed. Tunneling withJ π=2 would lead to no reaction.
Tocompare the transition probabilities for electron conversion to differentI=0 states, we use the energy dependence on the internal conversion coefficient α(0) from Ref.4, Eq. 10.26.
If these d+d+e− tunneling reactions produce the energy production reported in Ref. 1, then there will be significant radiation hazards from energetic electrons and radioactive tritium.
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Collins, G.S., Walker, J.S. & Norbury, J.W. Deuteron tunneling at electron-volt energies. J Fusion Energ 9, 409–411 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01588270
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01588270