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

Abstract

Background: Large-scale fusion reactors using hydrogen isotopes as fuel are 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 likely will 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 indeed already exist, using deuterium or ordinary hydrogen as fuel, and more methods 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 even after 60 years of development, which gives no confidence in this approach. Main text: The well-known muon-induced fusion (often called muon-catalyzed fusion) can use non-radioactive deuterium as fuel. With the recent development of a high intensity muon source (1013 muons per laser shot) (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 unimportant. This removes the 60-year-old enigma, concerning the so-called alpha sticking process. The recently developed annihilation energy generation uses ordinary hydrogen in the form of ultradense hydrogen H(0) as fuel and is thus sustainable and has very high efficiency. 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 mobile applications, including spaceflight, where it is the only method able to give relativistic rocket propulsion.