Cold Fusion Invented Again

Christine Elliott, Voice of America
March 6, 2002

Some U.S. government scientists say they have produced the elusive effect of nuclear fusion, a long-sought form of nuclear energy that has no toxic byproducts. Some physicists say this is a step that could lead to safer methods of nuclear energy, but others are much more skeptical.

Nuclear fusion is the process the sun uses to convert matter into energy. The sun does this by combining two small atoms into a larger one. The byproduct of the reaction is energy, but it can only be done when the temperature is higher than a million degrees!

Researchers are in a race to find ways to reproduce nuclear fusion in laboratories here on earth. The journal Science reports that scientists at the U.S. Government Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee might have won that race.

In a beaker the size of two drinking cups, the researchers grew large bubbles in liquid acetone that collapsed.

University of Michigan Physics Professor Fred Becchetti said the process they used to do this is called "sonoluminescence." Professor Becchetti "It's the generation of light flashes using sound waves. Now the extension to that is, if we could increase the temperature and density in this collapsing bubble, and add to it let's say deuterium, which is a heavy hydrogen atom, we can in principal induce reactions that take place in the sun, namely nuclear fusion."

The researchers report the temperature in the collapsing bubbles was indeed high enough to produce the fusion of atoms.

But another team of researchers examined the experiment, and found that the temperature in the bubbles was NOT high enough to produce fusion. It is this contradiction that has physicists skeptical.

The Deputy Director for Science and Technology at the Oak Ridge lab, Lee Riedinger said he is excited about the research, but not overly optimistic. "These clever authors have found a way to grow far bigger bubbles in liquids than have been achieved before. And that has potential for making nuclear fusion. Now, can this type of nuclear fusion that perhaps goes on inside of bubbles, can that lead to energy supply? I sincerely doubt it."

But others are more hopeful, such as Richard Lahey, an engineering professor at the Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in New York. Professor Lahey said he has worked on bubble fusion for eight years, and has teams of scientists who have performed this experiment successfully many times. "We're pretty pleased about this," he said, "and, of course, there are skeptics as there should be, and what's needed now is for them to go into their laboratories and repeat our experiment."

He said if this method of creating energy proves to be possible, problems associated with other types of nuclear energy processes such as nuclear fission will be avoided.

In fission, a larger atom is broken down into smaller ones, giving off harmful byproducts and nuclear waste. Professor Lahey said, however, that nuclear fusion is safer. He said, "It could eliminate many of the problems that have plagued nuclear energy in the past, such as radioactive waste issue, safety issue, the fuel availability issue.

Mr. Lahey adds that people have to wait to see whether bubble fusion could be used to produce energy as the sun does. "It's not for sure that it can be scaled up to that level," he continued, "but if it can, it can be a tremendous contribution to producing energy for mankind. So you have to stay tuned to see if that will happen."

Lee Riedinger from the Oak Ridge National Lab says the world might be waiting for a long time. Mr. Riedinger said, "I think that we are a million or a billion times away from how much energy can come out from one such bubble or a set of bubbles to have any effect on energy supply."

For now, the United States will have to depend on other energy resources.

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