Axel Koester for The New York Times
ATOM HEATERS Brian Kappus’s U.C.L.A. team uses sound waves to generate ultrahot temperatures.
Max Whittaker for The New York Times
Impulse Devices, with sphere at top, also explores sound-driven fusion.
Posted on 02/26/2007 10:44:00 PM PST by neverdem
LOS ANGELES — Brian Kappus, a physics graduate student at U.C.L.A., tipped the clear cylinder to trap some air bubbles in the clear liquid inside. He clamped the cylinder, upright, on a small turntable and set it spinning. With the flip of another switch, powerful up-and-down vibrations, 50 a second, started shaking the cylinder.
A bubble floating in the liquid — phosphoric acid — started to shine, brightening into an intense ball of light like a miniature star.
The shining bubble did not produce any significant energy, but perhaps someday it might, just like a star. A few small companies and maverick university laboratories, including this one at U.C.L.A. run by Seth Putterman, a professor of physics, are pursuing quixotic solutions for future energy, trying to tap the power of the Sun — hot nuclear fusion — in devices that fit on a tabletop.
Dr. Putterman’s approach is to use sound waves, called sonofusion or bubble fusion, to expand and collapse tiny bubbles, generating ultrahot temperatures. At temperatures hot enough, atoms can literally fuse and release even more energy than when they split in nuclear fission, now used in nuclear power plants and weapons. Furthermore, fusion is clean in that it does not produce long-lived nuclear waste.
Dr. Putterman has not achieved fusion in his experiments. He and other scientists form a small but devoted cadre interested in turning small-scale desktop fusion into usable systems. Although success is far away, the principles seem sound.
Other researchers already have working desktop fusion devices, including ones that are descendants of the Farnsworth Fusor invented four decades ago by Philo T. Farnsworth, the television pioneer.
Achieving nuclear fusion, even in a desktop device, is not particularly difficult. But building a fusion reactor that generates more energy than it consumes is far more challenging...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Axel Koester for The New York Times
ATOM HEATERS Brian Kappus’s U.C.L.A. team uses sound waves to generate ultrahot temperatures.
Max Whittaker for The New York Times
Impulse Devices, with sphere at top, also explores sound-driven fusion.
Can't be serious...he's not wearing any safety glasses.
|
What was it with the BIg Nose in "the life of Brian"?
Whether fusion or a variety of other means . . . I've long assumed that the powers that be had the means to produce cheap and decentralized power.
But they are not about to give up power and CONTROL over the lives of the masses.
I guess all those firebugs that flash around all night in the summer are really little cold fushion machines...Who knew?
Then again, glow sticks are nothing new, I hope this guy isn't geting taxpayers money for re-discovering them.
well, were the cold fusion possible, then [as it does not matter how one gets deuterium within palladium metal] by rapidly compressing a vial with palladium sponge and gaseous deuterium one would get a cheap thermonuclear warhead of arbitrary size. One should have sold north koreans, saddamites and hairy iranians on that idea.
That's a very good observation. If there was any hope of real energy there, I would have some serious plexy glass AND googles on.
No doubt this guy shows his magic test tube to Democrat senators for research grants, 50% kick back to the senator for campaign contributions of course...
The gas produced can run a small generator as well.
|
>>That's a very good observation. If there was any hope of real energy there, I would have some serious plexy glass AND googles on.
And the lab coat. Whre's the lab coat?
>> trying to tap the power of the Sun — hot nuclear fusion — in devices that fit on a tabletop. <<
I guess Al Quida would like that idea.
Maybe he's searching for the answers.
The movie is CHAIN REACTION.
Here is my scheme for practical fusion...
Step 1: Build a ring of windmills and photovoltaic installations twenty miles in diameter around Teheran.
Step 2: ...
Maybe he stumbled upon a funding source. Get the Google guys to fund this boondoggle, since Algore is their bestest buddy. :)
hehe...a Little "Bang", as opposed to a Big "Bang"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.