Hello Michiel!

28 Apr 05 23:25, Michiel van der Vlist wrote to Gerrit Kuehn:


 >> I was thinking about that, too. We'll have to see if anyone
 >> else comes up with similar results during the following time.

 MvdV> So we wait...

The setup seems to be quite simple. I guess we won't have to wait for a long time.

 >> And even if that is the case it remains to be shown that you
 >> can actually build something like a power station based on
 >> this concept.

 MvdV> I'll believe it when I see it.

I think even the inventors deny such a possibility. Their aim is to build a
table-top version of a neutron source for applications like security checks
at airports and so on.

 >> /Some/ fusion reactions take place in more or less every hot fusion
 >> experiment nowadays... but break even is still not reached.

 MvdV> Indeed. We are still a LONG way from practical application.

Well, given that politicians come to a decision where to build ITER soon
and sufficient funding is available for this project, hot fusion reactors
are in reach. I won't cite the famous "in 50 years" here, because
that's what they're saying since the 50s, but I really think that the basic
scientific problems that arose (and that nobody had imagined when research
on that topic started) are solved. The remaining factor to reach and
outpass the break even can be gained by "simply" scaling the
reactor. Experiments like JET or ASDEX Upgrade are already able to burn
fusion plasmas for about 5s today.

 MvdV>>> There we have it: Eenrgy isn't expressed in Volts!

 >> Michiel, of course you can measure energies by means of a
 >> potential in kV. Photon energies are often given in eV or even
 >> in cm^-1, so what?

 MvdV> eV, electron-volts, yes. Not just Volts, without the electron.
 MvdV> Sloppy use of dimensions...

Not neccessarily sloppy. As I said above: Photons having an energy of 10000
cm^-1 are correct and understandable in a spectroscopic context.

 >> Well, you omitted a factor of 10^9 here... 25 V/nm = 25GV/m.

 MvdV> Yeah, I missed that. See previous messaga.

This may be the usual unit in this field of research like cm^-1 or Ae in
optical spectroscopy. They're dealing with small scales and nuclear
processes there, so probably V/nm gives a more convenient measure than
GV/m, because a nm is a scale that actually matters in such an experiment.


Regards,
Gerrit

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