Only Hydrogen?

[Frank Sanns]

Still pondering the order of magnitude difference between same fuels and mixed fuels of Deuterium and Tritium.

I do not like quarks but they are helpful for describing some nuclear processes.

Which again brings me back to the question of 50% Deuterium and Tritium mixed fusion is over an order of magnitude easier than anything else.

From a chemistry way of thinking, I have been pondering the fundamental mechanisms and why such differences.

I worked out some combinations and come up with the most likely fusion product of Deuterium and Tritium is not He4 and a neutron. It is actually He-5 and a neutron with near instant decay (10^-21 seconds) to He-4 resulting in a more energetic neutron.

This is a shorter time frame that tunneling so it may have not ever even been considered as a possible mechanism.

I can find no references on such mechanisms. If it is true though, there are some interesting implications.

I do not think it will be a lucky donkey that finds the answer. I think it will be a smart donkey.

[Rich Gorski]

Answer: The DT reaction has a nuclear resonance enhancement at an energy of 65keV which serves to increase the fusion cross section by 100X. This resonance is known as the Bretscher State which does not exist in the DD reaction. See attached link for more info.

https://www.ans.org/news/article-5189/b ... nce-today/

Its also interesting to read how important the He produced from the enhanced DT reaction was to the nuclear synthesis of Carbon 12 in the early universe without which we would not be here to discuss.

Rich G.

[Rich Gorski]

Sorry, seems like the link to ANS requires an account (its free). However I managed to download the full article below.

Big Bang fusion 13.docx

(807.67 KiB) Downloaded 69 times

Rich G.

[Frank Sanns]

Thanks for the article. Interesting.

So D-T fusion DOES go through a Helium-5 state. Why is this information so obscure?

Why is it so hidden even in the article as it is talking about complex states rather than just the simplified one? Yes, two branches, one is coulombically far less favorable for helium-4 production but sheesh, it is the fusion that is the important information.

Guess I was born 60 years too late, or maybe not.

[Dennis P Brown]

Or, maybe, 13.8 billion years too late to witness that fusion in large amounts