Laser Boron Fusion

[GliderRider]

An Australian company, HB11, claim that their approach to nuclear fusion sidesteps the major stumbling blocks of other fusion methods, by avoiding the need to heat the constituent materials.

What the physicists on here have to say about the concept?

Laser fusion of hydrogen and boron-11

[Simpo Two]

It's a bit thin on content...

[GliderRider]

Simpo Two said:

It's a bit thin on content...

Good point, Simpo Two. That page does rather lack the background info.

Here is the New Atlas article that brought it to my attention. Maybe it will shed a little more light?: New Atlas - Hydrogen Boron Fusion

[Beati Dogu]

Revolutionary if true. Let's hope it's not another false dawn.

[ChocolateFrog]

One of those things that seems promising then you never hear anything more from them.

I recently found the ITER YouTube channel which provides the odd insight into the huge scope of that project.

[Toltec]

I find the possibility of directly extracting electrical power from the reaction rather exciting. If nothing else it could mean initiating the process could be much more efficient as it should be possible to develop the power to self sustain much faster than by a thermal cycle.

[llewop]

Pulsing a 10 PW laser is no mean feat, nor is tapping the charge from alpha particles straight into the grid.

Does sound a bit ‘cold fusion’.

Good luck to them if they have found a trick, there are quite a few variations that seem to be being played with round the edges of fusion technology at the moment, so not sure if credible or pipe dream. Suspect the stumbling blocks will include energy in vs energy out and it not turning out as clean as they think it is.

[Krikkit]

Shame it's a private venture, chances are we won't see many papers on the theory behind how they're doing it. If they do they'll be short on specifics.

Hopefully it'll work, but how many times have we heard something in fusion will revolutionise it?

[Beati Dogu]

Well they've patented it in China, which means they'll be ripping it off already. Perhaps the Chinese can make something of it.