Controlling the process of muon formation for muon-catalyzed fusion: method of non-destructive average muon sign detection

The recent development of intense muon sources (Holmlid, Swedish Patent SE 539,684 C 2 (2017)) is crucial for the use of muon-catalyzed fusion reactors (L. Holmlid, Fusion Science and Technology 75, 208 (2019)) which are likely to be the first generation of practical fusion reactors. For this purpose, only negative muons are useful. For existing sources where negative muons can be ejected (if not formed) preferentially, it is necessary to know the amount of negative muons to determine and optimize the fusion reactor efficiency on-line. Here, a method is developed to measure the absolute muon flux and its average sign without collecting or deflecting the muons. The muons from the patented muon generator have an energy of 100 MeV and above and an intensity of 1013 muons per laser pulse. Here, the detection of the relativistic laser-induced muons from H(0) is reported with a standard particle beam method, using a wire coil on a ferrite toroid as detector for the relativistic particles. The coil detection method shows that these relativistic particles are charged, thus not photons, neutrinos or neutral kaons. This makes the coil method superior to scintillator methods and it is the only possible method due to the large muon intensity. If an equal number of positive and negative mouns passed the coil, no signal would be observed. The signal at the coil in the case shown here is due to relativistic positive muons as concluded from a signal charge sign verification in the coil.

J. David Jackson (January 19, 1925–May 20, 2016): A Biographical Memoir

John David (“Dave”) Jackson, a Canadian-born theoretical physicist, contributed significantly to particle, nuclear, and atomic physics. He is best known, however, for his text Classical Electrodynamics, which has been a fixture in physics graduate education around the world for more than 50 years. It is generally referred to simply as “Jackson.” This textbook, which has inspired fear and wonder alike in generations of students, clearly reflects the author's fascination with physical phenomena, his renowned mathematical dexterity, and his appreciation of the elegance of physical laws. Jackson's major contributions to research included the theory of muon-catalyzed fusion; the analysis, with Kurt Gottfried, of angular distributions in quasi-two-body elementary particle collisions; and the elucidation of charmonium-state decays. Jackson influenced the development of physics research throughout the United States as well as internationally—particularly through his work on the nascent Superconducting Super Collider. An active promoter of civil liberties and human rights, he was one of the leaders of the efforts to free Andrei Sakharov, Yuri Orlov, and Anatoly Shcharansky from Soviet imprisonment.

Muon-catalyzed Fusion and Annihilation Energy Generation will Supersede Non-sustainable T+D Nuclear Fusion

Background : Large-scale fusion reactors using hydrogen isotopes as fuel are still under development at several places in the world. These types of fusion reactors use tritium as fuel for the T +D reaction. However, tritium is not a sustainable fuel, since it may require fission reactors for its production, and since it is a dangerous material due to its radioactivity with main risks of release to the environment during tritium production, transport and refuelling operations. Thus, widespread use of fusion relying on tritium fuel should be avoided. At least two better methods for producing the nuclear energy needed in the world using deuterium or ordinary hydrogen as fuel indeed already exist, and more need to be developed. It should be noted that the first experiments with sustained laser-driven fusion above break-even using deuterium as fuel were published already in 2015. Similar results for T+D fusion do not exist yet, which gives no confidence in this approach. Results: The well-known muon-induced fusion (conventionally called muon-catalyzed fusion) can use deuterium as fuel. With the recent development of a high intensity (10 13 muons per laser shot) muon source (patented), this method is technically and economically feasible today. Due to the low energy cost of producing muons at < 1 MeV with this new source, the length of the so-called catalytic chain is not important. This circumvents the 60 year-old enigma with the alpha sticking process. The recently developed annihilation energy generation uses ordinary hydrogen in the form of ultradense hydrogen H(0) as fuel. Conclusions: muon-induced fusion is able to directly replace most combustion-based power stations in the world, giving sustainable and environmentally harmless power (primarily heat), in this way eliminating most CO 2 emissions of human energy generation origin. Annihilation-based power generation has the potential to replace almost all other uses of fossil fuels within a few decades, also in mobile applications, including spaceflight where it is the only method able to give relativistic rocket propulsion (Acta Astronautica 2020).

Muon-catalyzed fusion and annihilation energy generation supersede non-sustainable T+D nuclear fusion

Background: Large-scale fusion reactors using hydrogen isotopes as fuel are still under development at several places in the world. These types of fusion reactors use tritium as fuel for the T +D reaction. However, tritium is not a sustainable fuel to use, since it will require fission reactors for its production, and since it is a dangerous material due to its radioactivity. Thus, fusion relying on tritium fuel should be avoided, and at least two better methods for providing the nuclear energy needed in the world indeed exist already. The first experiments with sustained laser-driven fusion above break-even using deuterium as fuel were published already in 2015.Results: The well-known muon-induced fusion (also called muon-catalyzed fusion) can use deuterium as fuel. With the recent development of a high intensity (patented) muon source, this method is technically and economically feasible today. The recently developed annihilation energy generation uses ordinary hydrogen as fuel. Conclusions: muon-induced fusion is able to directly replace most combustion-based power stations in the world, giving sustainable and environmentally harmless power (primarily heat), in this way eliminating most CO2 emissions of human energy generation origin. Annihilation-based power generation has the potential to replace almost all other uses of fossil fuels within a few decades, also in most mobile applications including spaceflight, where it is the only method which gives relativistic rocket propulsion.

Nature’s Pick-Up Tool, the Stark Effect Induced Gailitis Resonances and Applications

A simple universal physical mechanism hidden for more than half a century is unexpectedly discovered from a calculation of low excitation antihydrogen. For ease of reference, this mechanism is named Gailitis resonance. We demonstrate, in great detail, that Gailitis resonances are capable of explaining p+7Li low energy nuclear fusion, d-d fusion on a Pd lattice and the initial transient fusion peak in muon catalyzed fusion. Hopefully, these examples will help to identify Gailitis resonances in other systems.