Fusion Claim: New Data Supports Physicist's Experiment

In summary, the original claims of nuclear fusion in a beaker of acetone were refuted by other scientists. A new line of inquiry has been ongoing as to the effects and causes of Sonoluminescence.
  • #1
Guybrush Threepwood
520
1
http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/3/3

The physicist who claimed to have observed nuclear fusion in a beaker of acetone two years ago has published new data to back up his claim...
 
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  • #2
Met, IMO, with a healthy degree of skepticism by the scientists they cited in the article.

The main thing about this that puzzles me is how sound waves could possibly carry enough energy to do what is claimed: a collapsing bubble collapses at the speed of sound (in water).
 
  • #3
As long as Purdue doesn't go to the extremes the University of Utah did in 1994, I'll be happy.
 
  • #4
Originally posted by xeguy
As long as Purdue doesn't go to the extremes the University of Utah did in 1994, I'll be happy.
Agreed: like punching yourself in the face...
 
  • #5
Fine!

Could we give Mars an atmospheare by bombing it's surface with hydrogen-acetone bombs then?
 
  • #6
Not that this has much to do with this new bubble fusion idea--

I am so old (and decrepit, but we won't talk about that) that I can actually remember reading in the newspaper about the early claims on behalf of cold fusion. The funny thing, as I think back on it, is that some elderly big-name physicist who was asked to comment on the issue actually seemed to support it early on, at least to the degree of being quoted in the paper as saying that the possibility of cold fusion was not completely off the wall. It may have been Edward Teller, I can no longer remember. (Memory--that's the first thing to go. Or is it? Can't recall for sure.)
 
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  • #7
At the time of the cold fusion flap I was working in the Physics Department of Oregon State U. I listened in on, and participated in,(listened more then talked) the conversations of the Profs about this new Cold Fusion thing. None could understand how it could possibly be right. There were plenty of skepticism and no blind believers. Most felt that it would turn out to be experimental error.

(Believe it or not there are not many blind believers of ANYTHING among the Physics Profs I knew.
 
  • #8
LOL - "Believe it or not there..."

Thanks for the personal reminiscence, Integral.
 
  • #9
Originally posted by Guybrush Threepwood
http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/3/3

I do recall the original paper detailing the experiment was refuted by other scientists who stipulated a high level of contanimation caused the data to be very unreliable.

Another line of inquiry has been ongoing as to the effects and causes of Sonoluminescence, the handwaving suggests that a Backreaction from the Bubble 'surface'(which is impregnated by infalling sound-waves) causes an internal Vacuum from the internal/underside of the Bubble-surface.

The similarity to the 'Casimir' effect for other Vacuumated energies, with plates for instance, shows that there are similarities with Micro-Blackholes?..and observed Sonoluminescence.

Sonoluminant energies are caused by the experimental set-up, we are 'seeing' the manufacture of Hawking Radiation.
 
  • #10
Bombing the Mars pools would perhaps reveal the core of Mars and warm the planets surface.
 
  • #11
Originally posted by Sariaht
Bombing the Mars pools would perhaps reveal the core of Mars and warm the planets surface.

Whatever happened to good ol' ice-teroids? Not only do they contain volatiles necessary for the development of terraforming-genetic-bacteria, they are quite abundant in the relatively nearby asteriod belt. Give Mars new oceans: That's what you should do. There's plenty of CO2 at the south pole to initiate artificial greenhouse heating. Or, you could bombard the south pole with the ice planetoids. Since kinetic energy is essentially the same as heat, you could transfer the water to Mars and melt the pole(s).

Live long and prosper. \\//,
 

What is fusion and why is it important?

Fusion is a nuclear reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus. It is important because it is the process that powers the sun and stars and has the potential to provide a clean and virtually limitless energy source for our planet.

What is the fusion claim and who made it?

The fusion claim refers to the assertion that a physicist has conducted an experiment that supports the possibility of achieving fusion reactions at room temperature. The claim was made by physicist Martin Fleischmann in the late 1980s.

What new data supports this fusion claim?

The new data supporting the fusion claim comes from a recent experiment conducted by a team of scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). They were able to produce a record-breaking amount of fusion energy, providing further evidence that fusion reactions can occur at room temperature.

What are the potential implications of this fusion claim?

If this fusion claim is proven to be true, it could have significant implications for energy production. It could lead to the development of a new, clean, and virtually limitless energy source that could help address the growing energy demands of our world.

What is the scientific community's response to this fusion claim?

The scientific community has had a mixed response to this fusion claim. While some researchers have been working to replicate and build upon Fleischmann's experiment, others remain skeptical and believe that further evidence is needed before the claim can be fully accepted. The recent data from the NIF experiment has sparked renewed interest and debate among scientists in the field of fusion research.

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