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THEORIES OF CLUSTER-IMPACT FUSION WITH ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR CLUSTER BEAMS
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1991
Year
Nuclear Beam PhysicsNuclear PhysicsEngineeringFusion PowerComputational ChemistryHeavy Ion PhysicControlled Nuclear FusionLow-energy Nuclear StructureCluster ScienceNuclear DynamicsLaser FusionHigh-energy Nuclear ReactionPhysicsNuclear TheoryAtomic PhysicsNuclear ReactionsMolecular Cluster BeamsExperimental ResultsDisparate Experimental ResultsExperimental Nuclear PhysicsNatural SciencesApplied PhysicsInertial Confinement Fusion
Apparently disparate experimental results have been obtained for deuterium-deuterium (D-D) fusion products from the impact of atomic and molecular cluster beams on deuterated targets. Unexpectedly high fusion rates observed with beams of D 2 O clusters in the energy range 10–1000 eV per deuteron have been a formidable challenge to theoretical physics with previous attempts to explain these surprisingly high yields being unsuccessful. A further challenge exists because the resultant models also do not explain why fusion is not observed in similar experiments with beams of D clusters. We present a theory in which heavy atomic partners in the molecule play a vital role in producing the observed rates, and which can also explain the apparently conflicting experimental results.